Living in a Romance Novel
by Lady.Miraculous
Summary: Shigure's editor has had it, he's finally drive her to the brink. Mii calls her estranged cousin, an aspiring writer stuck as a dead beat editor in New York to switch lives for three months. Despite Lena White's concerns about Mii's writer, she agrees.
1. Chapter 1: My Bittersweet Prologue

**Title**: Living in a Romance Novel

**Chapter 1**: My Bittersweet Prologue

**Authors Note**: Growing up, I was prone to reading everything my little hands could grab, the fantastic world of literature far better than real life. I really wanted to try my hand at writing a romance fan fiction circling around Shigure, hence my Lena was born.

**Pairings: **The Pairing will revolve around Shigure Sohma x Evalena White. I know I have a tendency to switch minds in the middle of a story, but this is set in stone.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. Evalena White is my own creation however, and belongs solely to me.

**Full Summary:** Evelena White was once an aspirting writer, now she's stuck as a dead beat editor, never making a break in the book industry. Her New York life is satisfying, but lacking until her estranged cousin Mii calls and begs to switch lives for three months. Her high demanding client has finally drive her up a wall and Mii needs a break. Despite Lena's bitter feelings to her family in Japan, she agrees to Mii's plea and becomes Shigure's new editor. She was ready to pull out every trick in the book in order to get that manuscript - falling in love was never part of the plan.

* * *

Every man's life is a fairy-tale written by God's fingers. ~Hans Christian Andersen

Born in the midst of a hot June summer night, Evelena Aurlie White began her literary career that would take the American Public by storm. With only her last name, Evelena, or more commonly, Lena, grew up at St. Marcus's Orphanage in New York, America. In the heart of American society of industrialism, surrounded by the mixed cultures of the world, Lena was first inspired to pick up the pen. Books had always been a source of inspiration for Lena White, escaping the dull grey room of the orphanage and skipping to princes slaying dragons, a slumbering princess and the evil witch. It was through novels, fairy tales, and poetic literature that Lena began her to form her own style of writing.

Lena first started her writing career at Little Brown's Elementary school, entering in numerous essay and short story contests. Her enhanced writing style took the children's competitions by storm and she was soon entering in Middle School and then to High School essay competitions. On a writer's scholarship and Valedictorian, Evelena Aurlie White was awarded a full ride to the New York College of Fine Arts where she began constructing her master piece –

The bibliography ended abruptly, because there was no master piece. Lena White had been writing her entire life, every word on the paper was true, which was why it stopped without ever announcing her contribution to American Literature. Somewhere along the line of her ten year plan, Lena had gotten side tracked, stuck at the same low end publisher company that looked at historical nonfiction books. She had never been much for ten year plans; maybe if she would have stuck to the list, she'd be on the other end of the publisher and writer relationship.

The phone rang off the hook in her small corner desk. Lena sighed and grasped the navy blue phone. She brushed her honey brown hair back and placed the phone to her ear.

"Lena Speaking," she spoke clearly, her voice was soft and bell like.

"Lena, I need your help," the voice was desperate.

"Mii, if this is about your hard to handle, high maintenance writer, I'm honestly out of ideas," Lena rolled her eyes on the other side of the line. She loved her cousin, but Mii could…over react at times. On the other line she heard deep breathing and heavy sobs.

"I can't do it anymore Lena, I need…I need a vacation," she begged.

"What are you asking, Mii?" she'd rather get straight to the case, "You know I'm not welcomed over there," she whispered the last few words dangerously. The harsh tone stung her throat.

"Trade places with me, just for a few months. I have to get away from my job. You can live in my house, take control over my writers and I'll take care of all the loose ends in New York. This is the chance you want Lena, to come over and say what you want to say to your mother's side of the family," Mii crossed her fingers, her lips trembled, "Please? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE," and the sobbing broke out again.

"I'll consider it, Mii stop crying…Yes, I know you're very stressed, I know the past few months have been tough. Oh, damn it, Mii. Fine, yes. Yes, I will go for a few months while you come over here. Don't forget to feed my baby."

"Oh, thank you Lena! I promise! You can even bring the mutt over here; I have a big back yard, think of how nice it will be compared to New York."

Lena frowned, she LIKED New York. This was her home.

"When do you want to make the switch Mii?"

"Is tomorrow too soon?" she was getting away from all the stressed in her life, including Shigure Sohma, her most demanding writer. Grateful Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Uhm," tomorrow was very soon.

"Fantastic! Thank you so much Lena, you're a life savior," the phone line went dead, Lena sighed. She uncrossed her ankles and brushed her shoulder length wavy hair back into a clip. Her creamy complexion came from her father's side. The only look she had of her mother was her dark eyes, muddy brown with little specks of gold.

"Jenkins, I need a moment," she called from her office. Her boss shot his head out of the door and grinned.

"Finally come around Lena?"

"We're not dating, Jenks," Lena wasn't a great beauty, but she was easily one of the better looking women in the publishing industry.

"Break my heart sugar," he muttered, "such a tease."

"Stop asking and I won't have to break it," she replied haughtily back, brushing past her oak desk and walking into the office, "It's purely business, Jenks."

"Sure it is darling. It's happy hour in half an hour, you down?"

"Definitely, now can we get back on track? I'm going to take that vacation you requested, unless you would consider a switch," she waggled her eyebrows and smirked.

"Talk to me baby, I'm listening."

"My cousin in Japan is having a…desire to change lifestyles; she wants to test out the American way of life. She'd come here, take up my clients and I'll go down there and work with hers," as far as Lena knew, Mii only looked after a few writers, "She's really pretty, by the way."

"Hmm," he leaned back in his leather recliner, his finger tips meet up with the finger tips of the other hand as he went into deep thought.

"Well, we'll miss you Lena, have fun in Japan," he grinned cheekily then, "Try not to murder anyone."

Jenkins knew all about her dysfunctional family past, considering the fact he had been in the same orphanage she had been in. They had met when an older girl was going to steal her cookie away from her and J ended up beating her up.

"Don't scare her off J," Lena warned as she began to order his desk, "I don't think I ever mentioned your sexual orientation so she might not handle pet names like sweetie, baby, babe, princess, beautiful, or the variety of other names I know you enjoy."

"Noted, Sugar lips. So are when's the big switcheroo?"

"Tomorrow," it was far too soon.

"Impulsive, that's good for you, be more spontaneous. Try not to go overboard with your lists darling, just remember to grab Pooch and you'll be set."

"His name is Prince, Jenks, not Pooch," Lena replied cross, "You should know, you bought him for me, imposed him into my house, let him run amuck and then refused to return him."

"And you love every piece of fur on that dog," he grinned, "So, you're welcome."

"Just be nice to my cousin, Jenks. She's the only family I like." And Uncle had not been happy about it.

"Who's the boss here?" he grumbled as she swished out of the office and returned to her desk. She had multiple lists to make if she was going to be in Japan by tomorrow night.

* * *

"Did you enjoy your flight ma'am?" The airplane attendant had legs that went on forever, legs that Lena would die for with her own bean pole figure. If she gained weight, it was in all the wrong places, no curves.

"Yes, thank you," Lena replied as she entered the grand Japanese airport. Her cab money was ready, the address in her pocket. She had to pick up her luggage (fingers crossed that it was all there) and Prince.

She wouldn't have to go shopping for human necessities, and the attendants hadn't lost Prince. So all in all, she was two out of three and only needed the cab driver to find the house. She was exceptionally gifted with directions and catching cabs, a real New Yorker.

She whistled, holding up her hand as a Cab wiped by her side. The man took her luggage and was even pleased to let Prince ride upfront with him, windows rolled down and everything. The dog was in paradise. They rolled down the streets, the driver assuring her in thick Japanese that he knew exactly where he was going.

They arrived in front of a cute yellow house with brick trimming and a white picket fence. It was like suburb America. Mii had gone a little crazy with the pictures Lena had sent when she was building her house. Lena generously tipped the driver and took her bags and dog inside. A detailed two page note was waiting on the table next to a longer ten page note. The first was instructions on the running's of the house. The second was labeled, 'How to deal with Shigure Sohma – Lena, read carefully'

'Respect writer's creative space but do not be afraid to call numerous times and even go and check over at his house. Directions are on page two along with directions to various other houses he is known to escape too'

Escape?

The last page had the deadlines and what novels she would have to harass him on.

"Aww come on Mii, this one needs to be in today. I didn't even have time to check out the grocery store," Lena grumbled as she moved slowly to the phone. This was the part she hated, picking and poking at the writers to finish.

She'd much rather be picked and poked at.

Her fingers numbly dialed the phone as she glossed over the tips to forcing Shigure into finishing his manuscript. He had to have been one top client to put up with so much trouble.

"Shigure's residence, the young master is currently unavailable due to the highly contagious and dangerous Influenza…"

"I'm sure that won't stop him from finishing his manuscript," Lena commented, a smirk settled on her lips, "Last time I checked as long as the patient wasn't delirious he could hold a pen."

"This isn't Mii."

"Observant, good skills for a writer, Sohma-San. When can I expect your manuscript?" Lena tapped her foot against the hard wooden floor.

"Oh well, I'd welcome such a lovely presence into my humble home, but we're having renovations, it's highly dangerous," he sounded sincere.

"Fantastic, I'm jet legged from the trip anyways. I'm sure you remember Mii's address, I'll break out the champagne when you hand deliver it to me, Sohma-San. I look forward to meeting you. Mii speaks so…highly of you," she smirked. Highly wasn't exactly the word she would use.

"Oh, well,"

"Six o'clock then? I'll be waiting," Lena paused, and then slammed down the receiver. She had left enough curiosity to know that Sohma-San would be far too curious to resist.

Now she just had to unpack and look presentable by six o'clock. There was plenty of time. She was in Japan not five minutes and already Mii had provided her with a story to journal about later. The meeting with the mysterious man or possibly just 'Curiosities' the titles popped out in her head.

An editor on paper, a writer in the heart, it was a hard line for Lena to walk.


	2. Chapter 2: The Story Begins

**Title**: Living in a Romance Novel

**Chapter 2**: The Story Begins

**Authors Note**: I just finished the Fruits Basket Manga series this morning! So I'm a feeling a bit bittersweet that the tale is over. At least now I can write fan fiction based off the manga and not just the anime. Anyone else feel cheated that everyone in the series pairs up except for adorable Momiji? I think so. Momiji is odd one out in the zodiac.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. Evalena White is my own creation however, and belongs solely to me.

* * *

We have it in our power to begin the world over again. ~ Thomas Paine

It was worse than being late; the damn infuriating writer didn't intend to even show up. That was obvious after an hour and a half had passed and the clock was beginning to tip on the giant seven that seemed bolded out on the face of the clock. The little minute ticker was slowly making its way around the six. This was not good.

Give an inch, and they take a mile.

Although the proverb was meant for animals (horses, to be direct when a rider gives an inch with the reins) and most people directed the saying for children, Lena had to face the truth. Her writer was one giant child. What had Mii gotten her into?

"Well, I won't be ignored, now will I?" She pointed her question to Prince, who simply rolled on his back and looked adorable while pawing at the air. His long tongue rolled out of his mouth and almost hit the carpet.

"You could look a little more sophisticated for being registered to the American Kennel club of purebred German Shepherds," living in New York had meant that Lena wanted a dog to protect her. German Shepherds had the sharpest, most dangerous set of jaws in the canine world. It made the German shepherd an obvious choice. They were also eager to learn and he had lots of energy for running her three mile jog every morning.

Prince jumped to his feet, his tongue slipped back into his mouth. He pawed at the carpet and ran to the front door, whining.

"No, you stay here, Prince. You can watch the house and pay for your keep," Lena was one of the large majority of people who could easily carry on a conversation with an animal, especially an intelligent one like Prince. She pinned her soft curls of light honey brown hair back and shrugged on long multi-strand coat of threads with green, red, and shades of grey. The popped collar brushed gently against her neck and the strand of mother pearls wrapped around her neck. She was very dressed chic, as if she had just stepped out of a Macy's catalog with her pin-straight skirt and Gucci High heels. If she was lucky, she would appear intimidating together and stylish enough to render Shigure Sohma of his manuscript.

"I'll be back," she promised before locking the door behind her and starting the small energy efficient car that Mii had kept in good condition. She was sure her father had paid for it; the family had probably paid for the entire house. The engine revved under her foot, Lena could count on one hand how many times she had driven a car.

It was three. Jenkins had felt it was a skill worth harnessing.

At that moment, Lena was grateful. She'd have to send him a basket of muffins to his office and stop bringing up the time he took out a McDonalds exit sign from the parking lot. To be fair, it was a vibrant yellow, how he backed into from the parking spot was beyond her comprehension.

Mii must have known she'd have to track down Shigure, his house along with various vacation route's he had tried were all in the enormous guide she had kept together. Lena was not about to allow their work relationship to allow him such leverage of an upper hand. The man had a deadline and he would take responsibility and meet it.

Around the bend and through the woods, she felt a sense of book déjà vu with Little Red Riding Hood – the Grimm Brothers version, of course. Despite the more violent version of the fairy tales, the original was always the best. Walt Disney wouldn't exactly be able to get away with chopping off the evil sisters big toe or heel like in the story – not that they didn't deserve it. Her writer was going to be in quite the state of pain if he didn't have his manuscript, though she probably didn't have the guts to chop off a body part.

"One up for Step-Mother,' she mumbled as she pulled up to the large estate. It was time to collect. Lena clicked the door closed and marched up to the door, her little fist pounded harshly against the wood.

A pretty girl answered the door, she could have modeled in New York, if she had wanted too. Girls with looks could get anywhere in the world. Lena was too soft and feminine looking in a fragile and 'be gentle' sense to ever look fierce or exotic like this teenager could pull off with a bat of her eyelashes.

"Can I help you?" Yuki gave a puzzled face at the stranger. It was late and they were so far out…maybe she had gotten lost.

"Yes, I have an appointment with Shigure that he failed to make," his behavior would not be ignored. She was not Mii, he would not get away with ignoring her and becoming a no show when he agreed to a meeting.

"Oh, I see," he mumbled, "Right this way, then. I'll call him in for you," he didn't smile, his eyes barely crossed over her as he shut the door behind her and left to find Shigure.

It was at that moment, after hearing the voice that Lena realized it was far too masculine for a female. _New York, would love him. He could run a male model run way and then change and head over to do the female run way – double the cash and then be completely comfortable with ordering a cart load of fast food to devour unlike the female models today who eat like a fucking rabbit. _

As promised, Yuki collected Shigure, who grumbled a bit before walking out. There was a carefree smile on his face.

"Sorry about earlier," he began.

"Save it, Mr. Sohma. I am not my cousin."

"No, you're not," he agreed in a way that made Lena feel quite self conscious.

"Let's keep this on a strictly professional level, Mr. Sohma. I'm sure you'll want to review my resume and past work before your more comfortable trusting your work in my hands…"

"I trust anything in your hands," he interrupted, a broad grin stretched out on his face. Through composure alone was Lena able to not turn bright red. From behind him she could see the two youthful men glowering and muttering curse words, the third seemed to stare off in space.

"Mr…Mr. Sohma, I'll forward it to you in any case. If we can just get business settled and I can have your manuscript than I will be out of your way," she managed to work around her surprise; she had heard worse comments in the big city.

"Ah, I'm afraid I've been under a lack of motivation lately, if you'd like to inspire…"

He might have finished the sentence if two double punches hadn't flown out of nowhere. Silently, Lena was grateful to them, although she despised violence. That was only because she couldn't handle blood though, the red liquid caused her to faint…Jenk's had to hold her hand for a simple injection and blood drives were her worst nightmare.

"The manuscript…please," she managed to keep a professional tone of voice, though it was on the edge of snapping.

"As soon as I finish," he replied, giving, what Lena was sure, to be a very charming smile.

"This will be tonight, because today is the deadline you agreed to! I do have unpacking to finish, so please hurry," now she snapped, her body was tired, at the point of exhausting. She hated connecting flights, it meant she hadn't slept in over forty eight hours and after seventy two hours of sleep it was said a person would have visual or auditory hallucinations.

"Now. Go. Write." She demanded before flipping out a small compact red cell phone. Her fingers whizzed as she dialed the area code and phone number.

A carefree and happy go lucky voice answered on the other line, "Hello!"

"You're officially the worst cousin on the entire surface of the earth. Seriously, the loathing in my heart directed at you cannot be measured."

"…So I see you meet Sensei."

"That immature bastard does not have the right to be called Sensei; Mr. Sohma is perhaps the most infuriating man I've ever crossed on meetings lasted for three minutes. Point blank, this trade is off."

"Whaa?!? No. NO I WON'T. I WON'T!" The shouting was so loud, even the three teenagers in the other room shot their heads up.

"Is….is everything alright, White-San?" the young man with silver hair asked softly.

Lena's lips twitched, her knuckles tightened, "It will be," she retorted before going back to the phone, "Mii, it didn't work out. I'll be on the first plane in the mor-you wouldn't," the shock echoed across her face, her mouth gapped.

"Now…, now Mii don't do anything hasty. Everything will be alright, just relax and think about what you're about to do, THINK ABOUT IT MII. There is no reason to act so impulsively, to cause such an extent of pain and suffering…just, back away, slowly, no quick movements," she tried to be calm, but her voice was threaded with anxiety.

"Okay, I'll stay, I'll do the three months, now…just, please, put the Prada Shoes down, there's no need for it to suffer, back away from the window," she let out a slow reliving sigh, "I still hate you though."

"As long as I don't have to come back for three months," she replied cheerfully from the other end of the phone line.

"Make sure the water the plants," she grumbled before clicking off the phone. It was time to change tactics.

"Where is Mr. Sohma's office?" Lena asked, the orange headed boy with hair that reminded her of the construction cones used on city roads pointed to the side door.

"Thank you," she kept her heels on clicked across the hard wooden surface, throwing open the door. He was working alright, trying to figure out how to get through a maze in a children's activity book.

"Pick up the damn pen," she hissed from behind him, "and write down grammatically correct structured sentences that flow with the plot before I find the kitchen knife and shove it through your inconsiderate black heart."

"Eeeh, let's not get carried away now, you wouldn't want charges on you the first night on the job," his smile managed to infuriate her further and Shigure had to admit – she did look beautiful when furious.

"Just write, I'll be waiting outside,' she snapped the door closed, and went to sit at the table.

The young girl offered her some tea, but by the time she came back with the pot and cup, Lena was had fallen asleep at the table. Her forehead hit the table, her body rested against the table.

"Hmm," Tohru smiled and walked quietly out of the room, "We should really move her in a more comfortable position, it's not good to sleep in that position for long!" With a little encouragement from Tohru, even Kyo agreed to pitch in. By the time Shigure walked out of his office, expecting his new editor to be gone, she was curled up on a mattress by the table. Her faces peaceful in the sleep and seemed quite innocent and breakable.

A curse like theirs would destroy her. Still, Shigure smiled and covered her with a soft and light blanket.

_Sweet dreams, Lena White. _


	3. Chapter 3: The Power of the Pen

**Title**: Living in a Romance Novel

**Chapter 3**: The Power of the Pen

**Authors Note**: Alright, third chapter is up! It looks like this fan fiction is sort of clicking with a lot of people, so I'll make sure to update every three days or so. Scouts honor.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. Evalena White is my own creation however, and belongs solely to me.

* * *

Beneath the rule of men entirely great, the pen is mightier than the sword. ~ Robert Bulwer-Lytton

"I see our lovely flower is still asleep," Shigure noted as he strolled into the casually. His fingers cleverly whirled a small black pen in his hands. Tucked under his armpit was the troublesome manuscript that Lena had come for the other night. Shigure had a way with women, he always managed to get them to spend the night.

If only it was in the same bed.

"Yes, but rest is good for you, mom always said," and on Tohru blabbed as Shigure narrowed his eyes and starred down at the slim woman, her knees slightly bent, her arms folded together so her hands rested beneath her head. For now, she looked angelic. That wouldn't be the case when she woke up to be the furious flicker of flame he knew she could imitate.

"Well, I'll just leave this here and go work in the back," Shigure set the manuscript down by her face and gave a wide smile.

"Work with what? You don't have any skill to contribute towards working," Yuki snapped as he walked in. Shigure whined that he did have some skill.

"I know, it's too stuffy in here, I'll call Aya!" he cheered up and reached for the phone.

"Dial that number and I'll stick that phone down your throat," Yuki threatened, "Besides, he'll wake White-San up and bother Tohru," not to mention irritate Yuki.

"Ruin all my fun," Shigure moped as he let the phone hit the receiver, "Still, I'll be out in back for when our blooming guest awakens."

"I'm sure she'll go running to the hills with the way you treated her," Yuki retorted bitterly, "Be grateful that Honda-San can put up with you."

"So cruel," Shigure wept as he slid outside. As the door slid closed, Lena moaned and twisted so her back was straight as a board. Her honey brown eyes flew open, and a hand flew to her lips as she gasped.

"I can't believe I fell asleep her, why didn't you wake me?" Lena turned to stare at the two teenagers in the room; her eyes were still in shock.

"You were so tired, it seemed rude," Tohru replied as she brought a small cup of tea over, "here, drink this."

"It was rude of me to impose in such a…" her hand that had steadied her upright sitting position to the side felt the sandy texture of a vanilla envelope, the bulk was big enough for a manuscript. The bastard was a day late.

"If you'll excuse me, where is Mr. Sohma?" she asked crossly as she stood up and found her bearings.

"In the back," Yuki pointed over to the door, and Lena marched outside.

"Mr. Sohma," she snapped, Shigure only patted the spot next to her. Lena walked around instead to face him, as long as she stood and he sat, she could intimidate him. Now he had to look up at her instead of vice versa.

"A lovely day," he remarked, "ah, I see you found the manuscript."

"A day late, I will not tolerate tardiness; from now on we will conduct business outside of the home, this was highly inappropriate to force me to track you down at your home. Let's get this straight right off the back, I am not your friend Mr. Sohma, I am your editor."

"Your words strike me cold in the heart, Evelena," he dared to use her first name. Lena's face tightened, that flicker of anger crossed in her eyes.

"First off, don't ever say my full name," she hated it, "and second, it's Ms. White or White-San to you, whatever is preferable," she would demand respect.

"Why? First names are fun!" he whined.

Impossible, he was impossible.

"Business, we are business, Mr. Sohma," she snarled. He stood up then, his build towered over her as he inched closer with a look of gusto in his eyes.

He wouldn't dare.

"Let's fix that then," his hand took a firm hold of her delicate chin, and he gave a wolfish grin. Lena tried to move her feet, but they were rooted to the spot.

Then his lips assaulted her. His other hand grasped her wrist tightly, he kept her at least a body's way apart, but his lips were both hot and cold, moving across hers in the most delicious way. It was over before the kiss started though and he pulled away.

"There, now I can call you Lena," he beamed, "I hope you have a nice day," he gave her a pat on the rump when she numbly began to walk away.

A scowl crossed her delicate features when her head stopped spinning and the stars shrunk away from the back of her eyelids. The nerve of that man, to attack her like that! And the nerve of her body, to react and surrender so easily.

All in all, it was one up for Shigure and Lena was still at zero.

The cross mode stayed with her for the entire drive home. Prince cried out when she walked through the front door, he did his best to dominate her full attention as he jumped up by her face and muffled a wolfish whine at her side.

"Stop it, you sound like him," she grumbled while she peeled back to the envelope and took the manuscript out. A small post it note was attached with a number to it.

"After this morning, I believe I'll have the right to take you out to dinner. Let me know when – Shigure."

He had it planned the entire time, how to nuzzle in and soften her up.

"Oh, we'll do dinner and that's when I'll lay everything on the table and make positive you understand the comprehension of 'just business' Mr. Sohma, you can count on that," she slammed the yellow post it to her phone and stumbled to the kitchen for a glass of wine.

After a night like that, she deserved a cup…or two.

* * *

"What are you up too?" Hatori Sohma demanded on the other side of the phone, "What if she had reacted and taken a hold of you? You could have transformed…leave things be Shigure."

"Why do I always have to be up to something?" Shigure gave a dashing smile though, "I have her figured out, I know what I'm doing. That's the difference between you and me, Hatori. You're too good to other people, me? I scheme only for myself."

"So you are planning something," the disapproving tone came through the phone lines. On the other side, Hatori gave a long sigh. Shigure was impossible.

"Oh, she'll be fine. New Yorkers are tough, she can handle it," Shigure reassured Hatori, from the corner Yuki frowned as he walked forward.

"Shigure, leave White-San alone, she already has to put up with you enough as it," he remarked cruelly, his purple eyes darkened at the thought. "You've already driven the last editor to run away to another country."

"Ha ha, Mii will be fine," Shigure held the phone up to his ear, Hatori rambled on about something.

No worries, he knew Lena White could handle what was in store for her.


	4. Chapter 4: Rising Action

**Title**: Living in a Romance Novel

**Chapter 4**: Rising Action

**Authors Note**: Alright, chapter four is up! Let me know what you're thinking, my motivation to write probably doubles whenever I get a constructive positive review. (I.E. Flaming is NOT cool). Sorry for the long wait for an update by the way! I was at Mid-West Horse Fair for the weekend…and it was AMAZING.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. Evalena White is my own creation however, and belongs solely to me.

* * *

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.

~ Anatole France

_A shiver raced up her spine, Stella's eyes bulged out. She was trapped. The air was slowly suffocating her, the fear dried her voice, and it paralyzed her legs. The night swallowed her up, no one would remember her name, would second guess that her life had ended so tragically in this back end alley. She would not be avenged, the world would not miss Stella Annette Mathews. The cold crisp air of the night never heard her silent screams._

A siren blared through her house, Mii's door bell was ridiculously loud. Lena was jolted out of the story, her fingers itched to continue onward and ignore her caller, but the damn bell continued to go off. Whoever it was was about to have their finger snapped off.

In her cotton white tank and multi-pink and silver striped pajama pants, she flung the door open. A very dashing man stood in front of her, and it was mid-day and she stood in her pajama pants. God was just not on the same page with her.

"Lena," he greeted kindly. His voice trigged her memory and Lena grimaced.

"Your next manuscript isn't due for two weeks, Sohma-San. You have plenty of time to avoid me," she hated being dragged away from her daily writing.

"Avoid a pretty woman like you? My heart darkens at the thought, Mii has a nice place. I have to admit, I've never been invited in," that didn't stop him from brushing past her and walking into her precious space. He lingered around the dining room and kitchen area. His eyes lit up on the computer with Microsoft word pulled up.

"I'm not inviting you in," Lena pointed out, her eyes leapt possessively at the screen when he walked over and began to read.

"Are you taking up another writer? Lena I am highly disappointed. I thought I got all of your special attention," the man pouted and gave her a soft puppy dog look that Lena was well acquainted with. Prince always turned on the look when she took out of the dog biscuits.

Speak of the devil, Prince was all over Shigure. She had never seen her dog take to someone so quickly.

"No…It's, I'm just…Prince stop jumping on his suit," it probably cost a fortune…if he ripped it with his nails. She'd never hear the end of it. Lena turned slightly green at the thought.

"It's fine, I have another at home," he reassured her and began to entertain her dog. His hands ran over Prince's head fondly, and Lena cursed herself for wondering what it would feel like to have his hands running through her soft curls. She wanted to feel that far too much for it to be safe.

"If you're not here about a manuscript, then why are you here?" the lines in her face tightened when she frowned, suspicion arose in her gut. This wasn't some impulsive stop by as he had made it seem. There was nothing impulsive about the man in front of her.

"Dinner, tonight," he flashed a smile.

"W…W…With me?" Lena stuttered over the two words. She took a healthy step back from him to distance herself.

"That's usually how it works," Shigure laughed, pleased at her stunned reaction.

"I'm…busy."

"There's nothing written on your calender."

"Last minute plans."

"Why are you avoiding me?" he finally asked.

"Your trouble," Lena retorted, "I don't get involved more than being your editor, not with the Sohma family."

"What does my last name have to do with anything? Now, stop avoiding the question. Do you want to go to dinner with me, or not? Last name aside?" the Sohma reputation wasn't that terrible.

"It has to do with _everything_," Lena covered her mouth with one hand and spun around to avoid him, as soon as she had said the words. What a stupid thing for her to say to him. "Fine, I'll go to dinner with you, just stop asking questions that I'm not allowed to answer."

"Pick you up at eight then," he pushed off from the computer desk, Prince wagged his tail and followed him to the door.

"Fine, I'll be ready," Lena huffed, as soon as he opened the door; she slammed it behind his back. "Way to go, big mouth," she hissed under her breath and scolded her lack of discipline in the mouth region.

He couldn't know the truth about her heritage, nobody could. It was her secret to take to the grave. So help herself, if someone found out, they'd make sure that Lena wouldn't have the chance to tell anyone else. She'd be muted permanently. The kind that goes with the phrase 'six feet under'.

* * *

"I look ridiculous," why couldn't Shigure have told her what type of date to dress for? Lena's scowl fixed on her face, her eyes narrowed at the tall full length mirror. The heels were one of a kind, black that tied at the ankle. Her pink toenails wiggled in the open toe shoe. The billowing black skirt stopped short of her knees; if they went dancing the trim would whirl around like a tutu. Her ivory turtle neck stuck to her body like a second skin. It made her pitiful chest seem slightly less disappointing in her lack of curves figure. Her casual pea coat hung on the coat rack, there was a good chance that once she put the coat on it would not come off.

This outfit might have fit in among the hottest of New York, but she could picture the glaring and judgmental eyes of her ancestors already. She wouldn't fit in, just like a tulip in a field of white daisies. There was no room for her to grow.

Prince barked hysterically when the door bell rang. Lena grabbed the pearl dangled earrings and the rope of pearls to throw onto her body as she hustled to the door. She took a moment for her harsh breath to relax, so he didn't know that she had all out run to the door in high heels. If her hand shook when she twisted the gold door knob and pulled open the thick wooden door she hid it by folding her hands behind her back.

"You're late," she accused, the scowl returned to her face. He was in a suit again, and very breathe taking. Not that she'd ever let him know that.

"Fashionably," Shigure eyed her up, more than what was polite in even New York standards.

"Could we go already?" she used her temper, her irritability as a weapon.

"Ladies first," Shigure showed her out the door and to the horse carriage that waited at the curb. By the sideway look he gave her, he could tell it wasn't what she had expected.

"W…Whats wrong with a cab?" Lena stuttered. They were so…big! Besides police men on horseback, there weren't a lot of draft horses marching about the city.

"The cab pollutes our air, I believe living in New York you should be familiar with that," Shigure took her hand and led her down to the curb. The driver tipped his hat at her and one of the giant horses snorted impatiently.

Lena jumped at the noise. His giant head swung around to give her what was clearly a 'I'm judging you' look. Even the horses knew she didn't fit in here.

"They come bigger you know, miss. These two are just nineteen hands tall, big baby's they are," the driver's attempt to comfort her did little.

They came bigger?

"Right, well, let's get going then," Lena knew when to grit and bear it. She wasn't about to look like a fool in front of her writer.

They debated in the carriage ride, they debated while sitting at a nice Italian dinner that served semi-not greasy foods and they fought and bickered points all through a walk in the park. It had been the most intellectual straining and personality clashing dinner that Lena had ever gone through. On the other hand, she had thoroughly enjoyed every argument and difference they had pivoted at each other. Her dates were usually a bore, but wonderfully enough, there hadn't been a moment of uninterested babble with her date. From the moment the giant monster horses had shown up on her doorstep, she had strangely enjoyed herself.

"How could you _skim_ Jane Austin? Sense and Sensibility leaves the greatest question of all time for the reader to answer, if life and love can coexist. She's one of the greatest American Novelists of all times. You'd know that if you took your nose out of your romance novels, fine literature indeed," she gave a snort.

"And what's wrong with romance novels?"

"Nothing, except that if it's been done once and it's been done a hundred times and each time the plot line thins. The characters are all the same and there's never a surprise ending," Lena explained in a huff.

"You want one of the main characters to split up or die? Then it would be a tragedy, not a romance novel," Shigure pointed out just as they reached the front door of her house.

"I'm not saying they have to split up or die, but…something different. It's all fairy tales and magic kisses in those books with princes to save the day and princess who needs them – hardly realistic," she shrugged and reached for the knob.

"You don't believe in magic?'

"I believe in what should be expected, not highly unrealistic dreams that only come crashing down around you," she had been a believer, and disappointed too many times to ever trust in magic again. Shigure gave her a long piercing look, it was as if he could see every crack and scar on her poorly patched up heart. She was using cheap band aids and chewed bubble gum to keep the pieces together. Because she couldn't handle the scrutinizing anymore, Lena disappeared behind the door, and shut it firmly on the romance novelist.

Because she couldn't survive the let down of believing in magic and princes anymore, and she defiantly didn't believe in happily ever after sealed with a romantic kiss.


	5. Chapter 5: The Heroine Falls

**Title**: Living in a Romance Novel

**Chapter 5**: The Heroine Falls

**Authors Note**: Hey everyone, chapter five is here! This will probably be around 15-25 chapters, if you're curious. I don't have the fan fiction story outline really complete yet…I know, bad Lady M. Fun fact – Mii is the only character who remains a mystery on her family name. Thus I decided to use the last name of the Japanese voice artist for her – Okamura. It sounded okay to me.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. Evalena White is my own creation however, and belongs solely to me.

* * *

Well behaved women rarely make history. ~ Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

The petunias needed a good prune; the overgrowth of the plant had begun to descend onto the few pictures that Lena had bothered to set out. Wistfully, she starred down at what seemed to be a younger version of her-self, the same soft honey brown eyes with the gold flakes, and the pale creamy complexion. The bushy mane was too fierce for the face, the red lipstick too daring and the spark in her eyes too willful.

Compared to her mother, Lena was a house cat. She hadn't inherited her mother's impulsiveness, her foolishness, or her stupidity as the family put it. What Lena saw, was a fighter. Her eyes held onto bravery and tenacity to overcome any adversity. She'd move mountains if they dared to stand in her way.

She was magnificent.

Lena was…simply Lena; forced to carry on the sins of her mother. Everyone had loved Sora, with her vibrant personality and the German descent from her mother's side. She had spark, flair, and edge.

Lena had an IQ of a hundred and thirty eight.

Forcefully, she slammed the picture down on the hard mahogany table and took a long drag of air. There were parts of history, better left buried and in the past. In the eyes of Japan, Evelena White did not exist.

And that was a very interesting shred of truth that could never come out of the dark.

* * *

It only seemed fit that on the eve of her mother's departure of Japan, that twenty and them some years later a man would be squirming about on her porch. By the way he fidgeted and sweated, he didn't want to be here. By the look of Lena's face when she opened the door, how she drained of color, she didn't want him here either.

"We have matters to discuses," he whispered in a hushed tone and looked around frantically.

"For heaven sakes Gorou, they don't have spies all around the house. _They_ don't know I exist," Lena pointed out in a deadly hiss.

"Do not use such poor manners towards me child, I'm still your elder," he shook an angry little fist at her in intimidation, although his height only came up to her mid-waist.

"I believe your due respect flew out the window when I was disinherited and stripped from the family records before my first birthday, I owe you nothing," Lena replied coolly. She crossed her arms and stood tall; no estranged great uncle was going to intimidate her.

"We have matters to talk about inside, or I'll…"

"What? Have the police write out a restraining order, and put what name on it?" she snorted, "if you're going to threaten me, then work on something more creditable." Her eyes narrowed on the streets and she pushed the door open, "Five minutes."

"I won't need more than three. Fujiko learned you were in town and got nervous. What are you and Miichan planning?"

"We're not planning anything. Mii simply became stressed with her job and needed a break – I get to be the lucky temp," she voiced out her dry humor, and showed obvious disdain for the subject. "I'll be on the first plane back to New York in three months time, so tell Great Aunt Fujiko to relax before she loses her last grey hair."

"Just remember the terms," he snapped in his grumpy expression.

"I'm not likely to forget, old man," Lena snapped, "You might have bossed my mother around like the high emperor, but I'm not Sora Okamura in case you've forgotten. I might have been born Kanae Okamura, but I was raised as Evalena White."

"Keep to yourself and don't leave any impressions than Evalena White," he suggested heavily. "We won't be happy if you cause any sort of trouble for the Okamura family."

"I am no longer of the Okamura business, so you don't have to worry," Lena promised, "Just keep living with your pretty little lies, Uncle. One day they're going to catch up to you and swallow you up. Without the truth to set you free, you'll drown in your deceit," she hoped she was there to watch.

Gorou Okamura turned red, and then his face washed of all color as her last words hit him hard. He swallowed what he had been about to stay and stuttered an excuse before he swung the front door open.

Of course, there stood Shgiure with a handful of red roses in his hands.

Lena was shaking in fury, "What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" she seethed.

"Flowers, is this a bad time?" he pointed to the roses as if it were obvious and cocked his head at the man.

"Sh…Shigure Sohma?" he spat out the last word, "Well! This changes things, yes indeed it does. I hadn't expected you to completely take over Miichan's work…expect a call Evalena," he bumped into Shigure on his way out, and didn't bother to offer an apology.

Lena collapsed in the faded blue comfy chair, her delicate fingers pressed against her template, "Roses, table," she muttered, "God what I'd do for some tea," anything to calm her nerves. Her hands were embarrassingly shaking.

"I think I can remember how to do a pot of tea," Shigure insisted as he shut the front door closed and began rummaging around in the kitchen.

Five minutes passed, and suddenly Lena heard an inhumane scream that screeched across the hallway and into the living room. From across the lawn, she could see the neighbor's cat make a similar sound and jump up with his hair on ends.

"What did you do?" she bolted from the chair and rushed into the room, "SHIGURE THAT'S PLASTIC ON THE STOVE," she shoved the oven temperature to off, and burned the tips of all five fingers in the process.

"But it's black…" he began, almost in a whimper.

"Yes Shigure, plastic comes in more colors than just clear. It's amazing what science can do today," she threw a small temper tantrum when she saw the plastic residue left on the stove. It would take her hours to scrub off with one mangled hand. "Why did you stop over?" she finally asked, because it was the only question she could deal with at the moment.

"Hmm, good question…"

"…you don't remember?"

"Well…I seem to recall…no that wasn't it. Now what was it, ah, yes," he held out a half chewed away manuscript that was due in two days, "I'll need an extension." Shigure half peered over the paper, and was shocked to discover a color on Lena's face, not created by Creyola.

"Get out."

"Why?"

"Kitchen knives are a few short leaps away from me, get out before I'm tempted," she suggested in a morbid tone.

"Ah…you know, now that I think about it, there's a second copy at home. Yes, I'm almost sure of it," he amended.

It was too late; Lena was off the deep end.

"Just, get out," her fingers twitched for the cool metal. She wouldn't really hurt him, nothing but a flesh wound, mess up that pretty face of his.

"I brought you roses, every woman loves roses."

"Funny, the same color as the blood that will be pouring out of the slices of ligaments you'll have left," because of him, she successfully had her estranged family on her heels and wanting her dead, a useless melted bottomed tea pot, five burned finger tips, and six hours worth of scrubbing on the stove. Her only question was why he was still breathing.

"Hmm, let me see those fingers," he caught her hand softly in his and began to examine, "I'm no Hatori, but I think I can handle minor burns, do you have a first aid kit?"

"Are you going to burn it on the stove?" Lena quipped with an arrogant look that said 'Yes, I am going to be a smart ass'.

"That's just rude, it was an honest mistake," Shigure insisted as he continued to look over her fingers.

Lena was about to come back with a 'it was a stupid mistake' but the words were lost in her throat when he made the incredibly sweet gesture of kissing the individual tip of each burned finger on her right hand.

"I'm still angry," she managed after a second of calming her furiously beating heart.

"Oh," Shigure smirked, "I know."

Lena didn't realize it, but like her mother, she could look fierce, when furiously angry there wasn't a house cat alive that could look as magnificent as she did.


	6. Chapter 6: The Past Unwritten

**Title**: Living in a Romance Novel

**Chapter 6**: The Past Unwritten

**Authors Note**: Sorry for the delay, I have finals this week which means it will be the last chapter I write until May 15th – and then I am free!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. Evalena White is my own creation however, and belongs solely to me.

* * *

Nothing's ever done.... No matter what you do, or what you pretend, the past is there. You can't ignore it. ~ JOHN SAUL

"Hey there, Mom. I always promised that I would come and visit you someday. Well, here I am. I brought Iris's. They were in the photo taken with you, so I figured…I figured…" Lena bit down hard on her bottom lip. The physical pain distracted her from the emotional one and she contained the tears. Her hand slowly stopped it's trembling.

With precise and care, she lowered the flowers onto the top of the unmarked grave stone. As soon as Giorou died, she would uproot the entire tomb, fly her mother to American and give her a good and proper burial with a stone that at least held her name on it.

If Mii hadn't over heard Great Uncle Giorou and Great Aunt Fujiko talking, she never would have found Sora's grave, or her fathers.

As a cruel joke, Daichi's grave was all the way on the other side of the cemetery. In life and death, they're punishment was to always be separated. His too, she would fight the rights for with a blood test and DNA sample and have him flown to America.

They would be together, someday.

Until then, she couldn't warrant a test, not with Fujiko still alive. Lena swore the old woman took in each breath out of spite at Evelena's existence.

"I'm proud of you mom, you and dad both. The first scandal in the Okamura family tree, and I'm the product of it. You sure know how to pick the worst guy who's the best for you," she laughed and a small tear slid down her cheek. "I wish I could have seen Giorou's face when you defied him, he probably resembled a steam engine with smoke piling from his ears. Over in the corner Fujiko was faking a heart attack as she clutched her chest and groaned. Well…" Lena's lip played with a smile on her face, "Actually, I was there."

She had been there, and that single idea had Lena cracking up. Her laughter bubbled forth in an un-proper manner being at the edge of a cemetery. Her knees hit the ground and although Lena knew heavy grass stains would ruin the nylon panty hoe's, she didn't care. A petite hand covered her hand as she laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

That's how Sora would have wanted her daughter to grieve.

"Miss…are you alright?" a concerned voice rang out and Lena felt a hand touch her shoulder softly.

Lena identified the girl immediately; she never forgot a face and especially one that always had bows in her hair.

"Honda-San," Lena's cheeks were tinged red with embarrassment as she stood up and straightened out the black lacy skirt. She smoothed out the wrinkles in the cream button up shirt with the high lace collar and the button over black jacket she wore.

"Call me Tohru," she insisted in a sweet manner and helped to brush off the blades of grass and beads of dirt that clung to Lena's nice outfit.

"If it's not rude to ask…why are you here, Tohru?" Lena asked as her eyes sharpened on the girls' large brown eyes. At first glance, she seemed to be all smiles, a bright and energetic girl. That was her cover, and just like a sappy romance could hide a tragedy – there was more to see in Tohru's face. Her face was just a little sunken in, paler than what was considered healthy and her hair held a dull shine to it. There were slightly dark rings around her eyes and a hollowed look about her when Lena looked very closely and examined her.

Clearly, she was grieving.

"Oh, no it's fine to ask," Tohru's smile dropped for half a second, "I'm visiting Mom. It's her one year anniversary from the car accident. I was with friends, but they left to give me a moment alone."

"It gets easier," Lena gave her a reassuring smile, "the empty feeling, that doesn't go away and you never stop looking, but it gets easier. You miss them less, you stop wondering about them less, stop praying less. Your life never returns to normal, but there's a healthy bargain you make to continue on in the world without the ones you love," as a child, Lena had always wondered about her parents.

"You're visiting family?" Tohru asked with hesitation.

"Parents, emphasize on the plural," Lena smiled bitterly, "Mom's right here, Dad's way over on the other side of the cemetery," because they came from cruel, dominating families who stuck there noises up in the air.

"I'm…" it seemed to Tohru in that instant, that although her mother had left her, she was together with her husband now. Tohru had friends, the best in the world to help her carry the burden. Evalena White had no one except the German Shepherd that whined at her heels.

"It's alright, I've got Prince. He's all the family I've ever needed," Lena laughed and stroked her dog fondly. His giant tongue rolled out of his mouth and rolled over the ground, enjoying the attention.

"How long has it been?" Tohru finally asked, how long had Lena lived alone?

"Oh, I suppose my birthday is in two weeks, that will be the anniversary, I don't know the exact day, but it's around there when both of them were killed."

"K…Killed? You make it sound like a murder," Tohru's face went whiter than before as she tried to laugh off Lena's words.

"It was," Lena said simply, "A terrible murder, covered up by money and power to look like Sora Okamura had died in pregnancy and then Daichi Sohma shot himself in grief," the temper lashed with the words as the wind picked up. Lena spit out the last name Sohma and never noticed how Tohru's eyes rounded in shock.

"S…S…Sohma?" she gasped.

"Aye, Sora was the first Okamura to have an out of wedlock affair. She was engaged to a man she did not love and ran away. Only eighteen, she got as far as the woods and then wandered around aimlessly, becoming lost. A storm hit and she became wet, sick and in dangerous shape. Daichi Sohma found her and took her inside the main Sohma residence. He hid her from the world, kept her save and helped gain back her health, of course they fell in love and like all the great love stories, their love was doomed from start to finish," Lena sighed and took a seat on the bench.

"If I'm going to tell the story, I need to start from the beginning of my life, have a seat," she patted the bench down and Tohru sat with wide eager eyes to hear the tale.

"I was raised in St. Marcus's Orphanage, the middle of New York City. As far as Orphanage's go, I had a nice one but was never put into foster care. As a child I was already intelligent and knew stories of foster cares, I scared off every parent that came near me. The Orphanage sent us to a nice school, but because I had astounding scores and a gift with the pen I was allowed into Little Brown's Elementary School for Girls, private and very affluent. It was bound to happen sooner or later, a history project on your family history. I had stellar marks, and born with a natural curiosity. At the age of fifteen the dreams of my parent's true identity varied from week to week. One minute father was a handsome solider who died protecting the innocent and good hearted and then he was a savvy shark-like lawyer, but Mother was always a novelist," Lena waved her hand and sighed.

"Am I boring you, yet?" she asked with brief hesitation. Once she started to roll with a story, it was hard to stop.

"Oh, not at all! Please continue," Tohru insisted.

"Alright," Lena smiled and then went on, "I dug, and dug and dug in research. I even broke into the filing system at the orphanage, which at age fifteen was forbidden. There was very little about me, only that I came from an Okamura family in Japan. So, I called them up," Lena gave a light laugh as the fond memory returned, "They were…shocked to hear from me, as you can imagine. I believe Old Fujiko screamed in the background. Of course Giorou denied everything right then and there, but his brother, Arata, my grandfather explained it was far more dangerous for me to know absolutely knowing and be filled with curiosity then to know the truth…half the truth at least. He got on the phone and explained how he, and his German wife Marleen had one daughter, my mother, Sora. He told me how Sora was engaged to Daichi Takashima and that I was born as Kanae Okamura but Sora had died in childbirth and Daichi had murdered himself in grief. They explained because of the pain, they had to send me away. I looked far too much like my mother. If Arata had truly known me, he wouldn't have lied, and he wouldn't have allowed my cousin, Mii, to continue contact with me," Lena folded her hands on her lap and gave a grim smile.

"That's horrible!" Tohru protested immediately, "To not know your family until you were fifteen, and then to be lied too. It must have been so hard for you."

"It was, but I had writing and the pen to make up my own happy ever after back then. I kept contact with Mii who began to dig around in our family history. She found out through Marleen in her last hours of life when she became delirious and started to talk about Sora and how if they had played their cards right, they might have married into the Sohma's. After Marleen passed away, Arata drank a lot and Mii learned even more as she probed him for answers whenever he became intoxicated enough. It was how I learned of the burial, and how he kept muttering that Fujiko and Giorou were wrong to take lives that were not there's to take. He too complained how they might have had a chance to be related to the Sohma's if only Daichi hadn't had a brother, Hodaka…but then he died and it was the last information I ever found from Arata, but not the last information found."

"What does Daichi's brother have anything to do with this?" Tohru asked, she was caught up in the story, like Jenkins had been, the only other person to ever fully hear the story about Lena's past.

"Well, he was the reason they lived inside the Sohma residence and why Daichi could never leave, for some reason he had to be with his brother. It was why when he tried to leave with Sora there was a big uprising in the family. The Sohma's threaten the Okamura's, the Okamura's threatened the Sohmas…it was a big power clash between the two family's all because of love…too Romeo and Juliet for you?" Lena asked with a twisted smile.

The modern day Montague's and Capulet's of Japan.

"How terrible to be torn away from the one you love," Tohru gushed, "Sora must have been devastated."

"She was, and mourned in her room, refusing to come out. Her cousins Eiji and Kimika ran food to her, because she was secretly feeding for two. One of the things that Mii shipped to me was an old diary kept of the events in that room. For one thing, Fujiko kept her locked in the room, and when she found out she was pregnant…" Lena sighed, "My life nearly finished before it had really started. Arata had to pull Fujiko off Sora and explain that the murder of an innocent child was wrong and I was not too be punished for Sora's sins. All of this was in the journal Mii sent to me. There are pages ripped out, pages that I know held valuable information that Sora knew, information too precious to be left on paper," and it had almost been hers.

The entire Okamura family was a scandal, with runaway teenagers who came back pregnant, black mailing back and forth along with pay offs to the Sohma family and then there was little Lena…

"I was born Kanae Moka Okamura, and then I died. The Okamura's erased my name from their family history, told the world I was still born and then shipped a baby girl illegally to New York with no name, no tags, only the blood in her body to identify her as an Okamura. The nurse maid named me Evalena Aurelia White, because I came in a lacy white baby carriage in a satin pink dress and bow's in my hair…I looked like royalty and deserved a fitting name. They had a red bow in my hair, and at the time my hair was darker but lightened over the years. She thought I looked like a baby version of Disney's Snow White, and thus the last name, I began my life at the orphanage and thus we come full circle of our tale," Lena stopped talking, there was nothing to say and her throat was now red and scratchy from telling a long story.

Prince's tail thumped at her feet as she ran her hands through his smooth fur. When Lena looked over, Tohru had tears coming from her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" she asked wearily, "It's not that sad of a story."

"But it is!" Tohru insisted, "If you love someone, you should be able to be together. What ever happened to Daichi, why didn't he come and rescue her?"

"This isn't some fairy tale, I don't know what happened to Daichi, maybe he thought she was a good one time fling, maybe he truly loved her but was kept locked inside his own nest…or maybe he truly did shoot himself. I don't know," the last words were pure frustration; Lena hated the mystery not being solved.

"Someday, I hope you find out," Tohru replied as she stood up. Over the hill and past the grave markers there were two boys fighting, literally.

"I better go…" Tohru gave a worried look over at them and began to quickly walk off, "Thank you for the story and telling me more about yourself, Lena. You should come over for dinner some time, I'm sure Shigure would like that."

Lena gave a slightly wolfish grin, "You know, I might just have to take you up on that offer."


	7. Chapter 7: Runaway Writer

**Title**: Living in a Romance Novel

**Chapter 7**: Runaway Writer

**Authors Note**: Now that school is done with and I am on summer vacation – expect updates to be closer than before!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. Evalena White is my own creation however, and belongs solely to me.

* * *

When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. Franklin D. Roosevelt

Lena could remember the first time she had contacted Mii, after digging through buried family history and seeing a glimpse into her family. It was a kick in the ass that the one family member to care about her, showed it in passing Shigure Sohma off on her.

"Dear Lena, went away for the weekend. Don't try and find me. With love, Shigure." Lena read over the short letter four, maybe five times before it finally hit her.

She had been ditched, stood up, left behind, discarded; the bastard had left her hanging. He owed her a manuscript.

"We'll see about that," Lena thought bitterly as she began to work the lock on the front door. A broken hang nail, bent hair clip, and a crooked old credit card the door swung open. Lena immediately went to Shigure's contacts list on his computer.

"Let's see here…" she hummed a bit as she flipped through who seemed to be the most recently talked too, and who showed up the most. It was pretty obvious, whoever Ayame Sohma was, he called Shigure nearly every day.

Without hesitation, Lena pulled out her cell phone and began to dial one of the numbers he had recorded. Hopefully it wasn't a private cell phone, that could be slightly uncomfortable.

"Hello, Ayame Sohma speaking, brilliant creator of special one of a kind design. What fantasy can I make come true for you?" His voice was loud and boisterous, Lena liked him immediately.

Her lips flickered into a smirk, "Mr. Sohma, this is Lena White speaking. You can help me track down Shigure, as his editor I have a bone to pick with him," the voice instantly began to gush on the other end.

She caught a few words, Lake House, Hatori left without him…who the hell was Hatori?

"Well it sounds like you've been cheated out of a wonderful weekend, …Ayame?" he already asked her to call her by his first name, which made it easier for her to offer a plan. "Let's say I pick you up and we go together? You give the directions and I can take care of the rest….ten tomorrow? Perfect. Thank you Ayame, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow."

Guess what Shigure; she was going to follow him. She was going to find him…and then, she was going to wring his neck.

Besides, she already had an invitation; Tohru had offered dinner one night. It wasn't Lena's fault that the girl had never specified.

* * *

Ayame was a joy in the car, under most circumstances and normal people, Lena figured a sane human being would find him annoying and a distraction. She found him original and a fresh breath of air compared to all of the stuffy people dominating the world.

He also loved Prince.

"I'm going to make you the most desirable pooch on the block!" he cried and began to explain the manifested idea from little dog booties to a complete sweater set with matching collars and pants.

Lena knew Prince would rip through the fabrics as soon as it touched his fur, but the pictures would last forever.

"Turn right up here?" she asked as she looked ahead for the lane that branched off to the Lake house.

"Hmm, yes that's it! Right there, soon I'll be bonding with my little Yuki. Did I tell you about him? he asked, for possibly the fifth time in the car.

Lena laughed and nodded, "You talk very highly of him, keep at it Ayame. There's something to say about persistence. Sooner or later, as long as you keep at it, he'll forgive you," she had gotten their full brother history in less than five minutes.

"I do hope so, there it is!" he clapped his hands as they rolled to a stop in front of the house. Ayame swung out of the car dramatically, "Shigure, my lover, I've arrived!"

Lena stepped out of the car, "Allow me," she offered and strolled up to the front door. Without knocking, she swung it open. "Honey, I'm home," she called in a sweet voice that it verged on making her sick.

From the corner, she spotted Shigure, and saw him cringe in fear at her voice. Yes, that's right Shigure. Be afraid, be very, very afraid.

From her heels, Prince yapped and flew through the door and into Shgiure's lap. She couldn't explain it, but her dog had grown quickly attached to him. She noticed Shigure sigh as he ran a hand through her German Shepherds thick coat of fur.

"Miss me suger?" she asked sarcastically as she slipped off her shoes and walked in, "I hope you have a welcome present for me, or your life may be in serious jeopardy."

"Isn't she just a gem?" Ayame chimed in from behind her as he scuttled through the door way. Hatori sighed from the couch and shot Shigure a long 'I blame you' look.

"Aya, what a pleasant surprise…." He sprouted up and cheered before giving Lena a long look, "Lena."

"I got your note," she smirked, "Unfortunately I don't take orders from irresponsible writers who can't understand the simple concept of a deadline."

"I was just having a little fun," Shigure whined, not liking how easily Lena managed to kill any attempt of the word fun. She stood there with the cross look in her eyes and her small mouth in a firm little line. He couldn't help but loose his train of thought.

"Not at my expense you won't," Lena warned. She was a New Yorker; he'd have to up his game if he wanted to get the best of her. She had street smarts, which she doubted the boy that had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth had.

Hatori gave a long stare at Shigure and then finally broke down, "Shigure, what have you done?" he accused.

"Nothing, Nothing," Shigure waved his hands in defeat, his eyes attempted to portray innocence. "I just happened to leave Lena a note which gave her very direct details…how did you run into Ayame?" he frowned and gave Lena a long stare, unable to put two and two together.

"Why don't you try your hand at mystery and figure out the ending for yourself," Lena suggested as she took a seat, might as well get comfortable. "So…where's my manuscript?"

* * *

It was later in the day when the kiddies came back. Lena was having a pleasant chat with Hatori while Ayame and Shigure horsed around, doing everything possible to break the conversation between Hatori and Lena.

"How do you stand it?" Lena had asked more than once.

"Family," he had unhappily replied.

Because Lena understood how deep the scars could run from family, she nodded and didn't question him any further. Family was private; their matters were sacred – though the idea that they were distantly related caused her to smirk a little at her own private amusement at how deeply set he was in family.

And Hatori, nor anybody else for that matter had a clue who she truly was. By her father's name, she was a Sohma.

"Lena!" Tohru cheered with surprise as she was the first to walk in and spot her on the couch.

"Hello Tohru," Lena replied polity from the couch, her eyes traced over the familiar three heads of youngsters that lived with Shigure. Funny, he didn't really seem the parenting type.

"What a cute doggie, what's his name?" she knelt down to play with Prince and instantly captured his attention.

"Prince," Lena replied, and didn't miss the shadow of annoyance that passed through Yuki's eyes or the snort that fell from Kyo's lips. Why the hell did they care what she named her dog? He was sweet and gentleman like, a prince.

"What is that idiot here?" the light silver haired boy muttered darkly when Ayame flew at him for a big brother hug.

It might have been endearing and sweet if Yuki hadn't punched him in the gut, sending him back.

"Don't touch me," he hissed, while Ayame begged to be given a second chance and to have a brotherly bond once again. Lena supposed it was her fault for bringing him, and encouraging the persistence, but it seemed rather pointless to hold a grudge against Ayame, who had still been a child himself at the time.

He hadn't understood the consequences of his actions, as Sora hadn't when she ranaway from home and fell into shameful love.

"How about a walk?" Shigure offered as the room continued to fill with more noise. Now the orange head and started in on all the arguing, Tohru didn't help matters as she pleaded for everyone to stop. Only Hatori sat on the couch, two fingers pressed against him template as he restrained the headache.

"Why not?" Lena slipped on completely inappropriate heels to go marching around in the woods. She whistled for Prince to accompany them and headed outside.

Outside it was deathly silent, there was almost an eerie feeling compared to how alive and loud the noise had made inside feel. Prince fell between the two, covering the ground lightly as Lena fought with every step not to fall flat on her face.

"Much better," Shigure approved of the nights silence, the soft moonlight that fell down on their bodies as they wondered deeper into the woods. "You do have persistence," he noted. Not even Mii would have known to contact Ayame to follow them up here.

"When I do a job, I don't half ass it," she replied and shot him a dark look.

"I'm hurt," Shigure whined at her accusation, "I'm a very popular novelist, I have fans."

"Oh the writing you do fine, I'll give you that Shigure. Even if some might consider your books lewd, and verging on pornography," she didn't condemn him, because Lena had read books like that before she had ever met Shigure. "When it comes to finishing the job and sending your editor her manuscript, you fall short…way short."

"So…you like my books?" he asked in a teasing tone, and Lena knew they weren't talking about his style of writing or way of setting up a story line.

"Pervert," she muttered, hating the silence with each and every step. In New York there would be more than a million different sounds and lights going off.

She missed home.

"But you admit, you've read books like mine before," because if she hadn't, she would have condemned it, and she wouldn't be at such ease to read his books.

"My reading preference is none of your business," she replied stiffly, and managed to walk in her heels while still carrying her nose in the air.

"Ah, but my dear, you are always of my business," he disagreed with a mock smirk on his lips.

"I am of no such thing!" Lena argued back, she felt a furious blush rise into her cheeks, and she wasn't quite sure why.

"Are too," he replied, much like a five year old would on the playground.

She was not playing this game, "I'm going back," she snapped and twirled around too fast in her high heels. She clipped Prince's body and fell over him. She was aware of two hands around her waist, and what sounded like a tiny explosion, but then everything went black.

* * *

There was a rough but wet substance slapping against her cheek. She blinked slowly and looked into a pair of bright golden eyes before mumbling and cursing her fate.

Prince wagged his tail at her show of life and began to lick her more enthusiastically until Lena had to push him off her.

"Damn it," she gathered her prada shoes and whimpered at the sign of a broken heel. The emotional pain took away from the physical pain in her head. When she numbly touched her forehead and winced from the stinging, she saw fresh blood on the fingers.

There wasn't a lot though, and Lena could see the source being a flat, but hard rock, her only question that remained was, where did Shigure go?

"Some gentleman he is!" She hissed as she struggled to stand up straight. "He better have gone off for help," or else she was finding the nearest cliff, binding him and dragging him to the top where she would shove him over the brink.

There, problem solved.

After sitting on the wet ground for several minutes, Lena had to face the truth. Her coward of a date for the night had run away from her. He was going to die, a drawn out painful death or a quick and easy one, she had no preference. The cold abandoning heart of his was going to stop beating one way or another.

"Come on Prince," she began the slow and tedious way home. Not too later, when she had made it about half way she heard fleeting footprints in the dark and long gasps. Shigure was attended by Hatori.

That was right, he was a doctor. Lena struggled internally for a minute and finally decided all was forgiven. She had been passed out on the ground; Shigure had done what was best.

"Lena, are you hurt?" Shigure asked as his hands quickly brushed her forehead, around the cut and bruise.

A sarcastic smirk fitted snugly onto her lips, just because he was forgiven, didn't mean initially, she couldn't give him a hard time, "You would have known if you had stuck around instead of letting me wake up alone," she snapped.

"It isn't too deep," Hatori mumbled, "We'll have to watch for infection."

"She has a thick head," Shigure joked, and got a rightful slap on the head for it, "Hatori…Lena hit me, and besides, it's true."

"Now really isn't the time Shigure," Hatori warned as he offered Lena an arm to stable her and take her back to the house, "Try to take it easy for a few days with the blood loss, I recommend staying away from Shigure."

Lena shot Shigure a long glare, somehow even in the dark she knew he could see her furious face, "I want…" she began to hiss, and her tone deepened and become far more pronounced, darker and demanding, "my manuscript."

"Persistent little one," Shigure replied with a trickle of laughter that fell from his tongue.


	8. Chapter 8: Clever Words

**Title**: Living in a Romance Novel

**Chapter 8**: Clever Words

**Authors Note**: As promised, this chapter has come out a lot quicker than usual. I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews and hope they enjoy the next part of Living in a Romance Novel. I tried to keep Shigure in character as much as possible, hopefully I succeeded.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. Evalena White is my own creation however, and belongs solely to me.

* * *

" A man never knows how to say goodbye; a woman never knows when to say it."  
~ Helen Rowland

The red x's had been creeping closer to the giant circle that bolded the fourteenth. Lena had looked forward to this day, that was why it was circled. She had reminded herself constantly that this was a favor for Mii, and a large one at that. The job was terrible, Shigure was one constant head ache after a next and then to deal with her estranged family? She missed New York, the parties, the life and the excitement. She missed her office friends and Jenkins in particular.

So why did she continue to delay calling Shigure to let him know that today was it, she was leaving. Her plane seat was reserved, first class to celebrate, and all of her luggage was packed. Prince was whining by the door, there was nothing to keep her here.

Her eyes betrayed her as Lena glanced over at the slowly dying roses. Her flowers had kept long enough, "To be a fool, and think I would have lived some fantastic tale in my home country, to believe I might have fallen in love and found true happy ever after," she laughed at herself and picked the roses up to toss them out, they were nearly dead anyways.

Dead, finished, the end, just like her stay in Japan. It was time to embrace it, two months and three weeks ago after meeting Shigure she had called Mii, begging her to go home.

"I'm being foolish, I need to just call him and let that be that," she muttered and marched over to the telephone. She dialed his number, and the line began to ring.

Or was that the door bell?

Yes, that was definitely the door bell.

Convinced, Lena swiftly hung up the phone, and checked the door. Of course nobody was there. "This is just ridiculous, now what will he think if I call and hang up three times? I'm acting like a nervous school girl asking a boy to prom," she chastised her actions and walked back to the phone.

Taking a swallow of air, she dialed again.

"Hello, Shigure Speaking," the voice was upbeat and sung out.

Lena knew he'd be even happier to find that Mii would be back, the writer that he could walk all over and get away with murder.

"Hello Shigure," she said as politely as possible.

"Ah, Lena, to what can I owe this unexpected but delightful surprise? Did you miss me? The sound of my voice or manly…"

"Knock it off Shigure," Lena huffed into the phone as he began to go on about his top form body, "I'm calling to tell you I'll be leaving today."

"Leaving?" for some reason, he hadn't expected that, not at all. Had three months already passed?

"Yes, leaving. Mii will return shortly, I'd ask that you be kind to her, but I know you won't," so she wouldn't bother asking.

"Well, alright then. Have a safe flight," he cheered into the phone lines.

Damn him for sounding so pleased and happy, would it hurt, just a little to seem saddened by her departure?

"First class, it will be lovely," she shot back furiously into the phone lines. Damn him, damn him, damn him. He wasn't supposed to enjoy her departure date but mourn it! She wanted him to beg her to stay because he had fallen madly in love with her.

Or, something like that.

"Try not to be too harsh on the flight attendants, you seem rather temperamental today," Shigure offered, what he considered good advice when he could hear how furious she was on the phone. In his imagination he could see the subtle blush rise to her cheeks, she'd pull on her delicate lace blouse because her face would start to heat up. Her nostrils might flare ever so slightly and her eyes would narrow in on him like the bow to an arrow.

"You inconsiderate blind dunderhead of a man," Lena snapped, "A 'I'll miss you Lena,' or how about, 'it won't be the same around here without you Lena' or even, 'I can't believe your leaving already' would have been preferable. But no, what do I get? Have a nice flight," apparently she cared far more than she let on about Shigure.

Of course he had to treat it as a joke.

"How thoughtless of me, I can't believe you'll be leaving already, it won't be the same around here – we'll all miss you. Does that sound better?" he asked, still cheerfully in the phone.

"NO," she snapped rather rudely at the phone line, "It doesn't bloody count when I tell you it's what I want to hear, you're the most frustrating man I've ever had the misfortune to come across," the ass. He had no right to play with her affections this way.

Shigure laughed into the phone line and sighed, "There's no pleasing you, is there Evalena?"

It was always a shock to hear her full name, "I told you not to call me that," she demanded in a softer tone. He had caught her off guard.

"I know," was his cocky reply.

"Well…" she sighed and leaned against the wall, sliding down until her body hit the floor, "I just called to say good-bye, so….bye."

* * *

Shigure nodded into the phone and spoke too softly for any of the teenagers to hear. Yuki craned his neck, Tohru stood with wide eyes and Kyo just sighed.

"Ah, that's that. I suppose," Shigure turned to the youngsters and grinned, "So Tohru, what scrumptious meal have you prepared for us lowly men tonight?" He got blinking stares back at him, and Shigure finally sighed and slid down to the table.

"You seem very calm for what just happened," Yuki remarked slowly, careful as if he was walking on tiny egg shells and didn't want them to break.

"Elaborate," he finally remarked after a moment of chewing on Yuki's question.

"Well, that was White-San on the phone, was it not?" he asked, probing for details. With a firm nod from Shigure, Yuki continued. "It seemed to be you were starting to care for her, quite deeply…enough to hide her from Akito, and further Hatori. That's why you tried to talk Hatori out of telling Akito about her."

"You heard me that night?" he hid the shock as well as he could and remained in a calm voice. Hatori and he had kept their voices so low…

_"Shigure, you know Akito must become aware of her. She's far too involved with you, it's a danger to the family secret now. _

_"Don't be silly, Lena is hardly around, barely more than Mii was," Shigure retorted. _

_"Then why were you so concerned when she hit her head tonight?" _

_"And be an inconsiderate clod like Yuki and Kyo? I think not! Any well brought up man would have been concerned for the fair lady's well being."_

_"Indeed. Still, Akito should become aware if she's going to be around longer."_

_"Perfect, Lena's only here for a few short weeks and then she's back to where she came from, so no harm needs to be done to her."_

_"We'll see," Hatori hesitated, but ended the conversation on that. _

"Oh that was nothing! Nothing!" Shigure exclaimed as he waved his hands around, "Really Yuki, you shouldn't jump to such conclusions."

"You're an idiot," Yuki remarked, "And that, is fact, not jumping to a conclusion."

"So mean…" Shigure whimpered while Tohru tried to comfort him.

"I'm sure Lena is very homesick, oh, we should have gotten her a going away present, I'm so stupid not to have marked her departure down on my calendar!" Tohru berated herself and sunk to the table, why couldn't she do anything right?

Kyo grumbled into the table and finally mumbled a slightly coherent sentence, "Look, if your bothered that she's leaving so much, just go and stop her."

"Who said I'm bothered?" Shigure sighed into the table, "Really, I'm fine."

Tohru frowned as she inspected Shigure carefully, "I know, I'll make your favorite dinner! Whatever you'd like for tonight, it's up to you."

"Clearly, you weren't expecting her to leave. I don't know what you thought would happen," Yuki said as he pushed his hands against the table and stood up. "There's absolutely nothing for her here, its better that she goes home anyways."

Yuki began to walk away and then stopped, "But you won't will you? You won't let her get away, because your head's stuck your own filth that you write, happy endings," because in the Sohma house hold, there was no concept such as happy endings.

* * *

"Departure sixteen to New York City has been delayed due to storms," the intercom beeped on and then died down.

"Perfect," Lena dragged her carry on to the departure gate sixteen waiting area and sighed. The day had gone from bad to worse with that peachy bit of news. Prince wouldn't be happy down in the kennels, flying dogs was a pain in the ass.

"Ms. White, if there is a Ms. White, please come up to the desk" a flight attendant called her name over the intercom.

If Prince had broken out of the kennel or god forbid taken a snap at someone she'd tan his rear. A dogs bite was no laughing matter. Dreading the news of the flight attendant, Lena slowly walked up to the desk. What if they damaged her luggage? She had designer clothes in there.

"Well, what is it?" she finally mumbled as she stood in front of the desk, looking like a child waiting to be given the blow from their parents, a punishment for bad behavior.

The flight attendant looked up with amused eyes, "There's a rather…' and at this she giggled, "Handsome man who has been trying to flag you down any means possible. He's just outside the metal detectors."

"Thanks," Lena rolled her eyes and went back to her seat.

"Uhm, excuse me," the lady poked her in the shoulder to get Lena's attention.

This really wasn't her day, "Yes?" Lena asked, fighting to control her temper.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure you understood what I said. There's this man here for you, he really is right outside the metal detectors. He worked very hard trying to find you before your flight took off."

"Do you know how much work it is going through those damn metal detectors? I have to take my shoes off," she didn't know if whatever stupid nonsense Shigure wanted to bother her with was worth it.

That threw the woman off her mark, "Oh…but…he's, so persistent, and gorgeous! You should talk to him."

"I should?" Lena asked with questioning eyes. Shigure was rarely serious, but he had to have a good reason for coming so far….

He wouldn't travel this far just to do a practical joke on her.

"The man had stars in his eyes when he said your name, trust me, you have no idea what you're walking away from," the flight attendant insisted.

"Well….damn it," Lena sighed and grabbed her carry on to roll out with her past the guards and metal detectors. At first, she didn't see anybody. It would be like him to call the airport to have the flight attendant try and whisk her out of her good seat, close to the door that led to the airplane.

Her eyes scanned the people that passed by her when somebody suddenly grabbed her hands.

Lena would have screamed, but she felt hot lips push against her own and her body's will melted against them when her soft eyes found Shigure's dark chocolate ones. He kissed her there, right in the middle of the air port with everyone brushing past in a hurry. Some stopped to stare; she distinctly heard a few awes.

"What are you doing?" she stuttered when he pulled back and framed her face with one of his hands. His other hand still held her hand.

"Coming to bring you back home of course," he saw her carry on and smiled, "Now I know this isn't all you packed…" women, so demanding in what they brought.

Lena pulsed red as she starred at him, "Now wait a damn minute, I am going back home. You're wasting your time here." There was nothing he could say or do to keep her in Japan.

"Fine, I promise. I'll have my manuscripts on time. Are you happy now?" he hated the words that slipped from his lips, but if it brought her back…

"It's not about the manuscripts, Shigure," Lena pointed out, "This was a temporary three month deal between Mii and I."

"She's loving New York, do you want to deprive her of more opportunities?" he insisted, "Besides, it's so much more convenient if my girlfriend lives in the same continent that I do."

"I'm not your girlfriend," Lena once again, had to point out with his arguments.

"Not if you say no," Shigure fired back and grabbed up her carry on, "What do you have in this?" he whined at the weight.

Lena rolled her eyes as she tried to take it from him, for a moment it was two grown adults wrestling over a stupid carry on when she finally let go, "You don't want me to stay as your girlfriend."

"Would I be here if I didn't?" he muttered, "believe me; I've never worked so hard for a woman."

Lena snorted, "Oh, I believe that one, this is….ridiculous," she finally said.

"I could charm you if you want," Shigure offered.

She knew he could, damn writers with their imagination and clever words, "I'd rather you didn't."

"The beautiful goddess that stands before me, won't you take my humble, humanly offer…"

"Please stop," she added more firmly.

"to come and spend all of our waking days and endless nights,"

"FINE. I'LL COME. JUST STOP." She groaned and grabbed her carry on from him, "but I get to take my own luggage."

Shigure held the biggest smile on his face as they left the airport, "Whatever you say, darling."

"Just stop talking right now," Lena sighed and looked at him rather furtively. She didn't know what she was more surprised about, when he offered to take her hand, or when she accepted and took his hand in hers.


	9. Chapter 9: ReWrite

**Title**: Living in a Romance Novel

**Chapter 9**: Re-Write

**Authors Note**: Hey everyone – thank you so much for the reviews, I appreciate them and I'm glad so many of you are enjoying the story. Now, unless I have some epiphany moment, the story will be coming to a close in five chapters or so – just to give everyone a heads up. LIARN was never meant to a lengthy story but a breaker from my main story Unbreakable Strength (as the writer of that story – I highly recommend reading it ;) ). Anyways, here's chapter nine – enjoy.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. Evalena White is my own creation however, and belongs solely to me.

* * *

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow." ~ Mary Anne Radmacher

Why was she here again? Oh, that's right. Because Lena was a true sap for anything remotely romantic. To the untrained eye she seemed a fairly logical, reasonable and sane person. As a fairly logical, reasonable and sane person…she should have been on a train sixteen hours ago. She should have left the airport six hours ago, and then she should have been arriving in her apartment three hours ago.

The evidence that this was not her apartment was obvious by the loud arguments and clever (and not so clever) remarks made in the kitchen as the teenagers – Shigure included, battled it out. Then there sounded like a small explosion.

Did Shigure have fire works in there? It wouldn't surprise her.

"Uhm…Excuse me…..excuse me….SHUT UP!" a red faced Lena shot a long glare as all four jumped and quickly quieted. "What…" and at this, Lena calmed down and took in deep drags of breath, "is the problem?"

"Oh…there's no problem, none at all…everything's fine," Shigure exclaimed as he tried to wave Lena out of the kitchen.

"Why is Tohru sitting on the floor….since when did you get a cat…" Lena frowned and studied the orange cat for a moment, "Keep it away from me - I'm allergic." If they hadn't noticed, she was more of a dog person.

"I assure you, Miss. White, the stupid cat will be of no bother to you…we'll just throw him out," and Yuki happily did so as the cat spit and spewed at him.

Lena had never seen such a violent cat, "Are you sure he's safe? Violent animals should really either be put through animal behavior programs or put down."

Yuki seemed to have rather enjoyed that, "What a wonderful suggestion, common sense really. Shigure you ought to put the stupid cat down."

"Now, Now, why don't we all get out of Tohru's way so she can fix dinner," Shigure nervously chuckled and shoved both Lena, Yuki and himself out of the room. "Ah, much better," he said approvingly as they stepped outside.

Lena sighed and let her body slid to the ground to the table. It slightly irked her that there wasn't an official table with dining chairs – American style. How comfy could a pillow be? At least Prince enjoyed it.

He stretched out under the table, grunting with the mammoth effort to twitch a leg or curl his tail every now and then. As soon as Lena had walked through the door, he had run to Shigure to cuddle with him. Lena wouldn't lie – it miffed her, just a little that he favored Shigure over her. Maybe she needed to remind him who bought his food and filled his water bowl every day. Who took him for the long runs in the morning – though she benefited just as much from that.

"Oh, there you are Kyo," Shigure patted the table for Kyo to thump down on and from under the table came a definite growl.

"That's right, I don't know what Prince has against you…" she frowned and then shrugged. "Maybe it's a smell or something you carry around." He had acted the same way out at the lake house when she had brought him – it was a good thing Kyo was fast.

Kyo's hair nearly stood up on ends, "Keep that damn mutt away from me…and why the hell is she even here? She shouldn't be here!" he pointed at Lena accusingly.

"You better get that finger out of my face before I bite it," Lena warned testily, and then turned her soft eyes on Shigure, "Shigure…" she began softly.

"Kyo, don't you have any self respect for a woman?" Shigure asked with a shameful look, "What's Tohru going to think if you don't start to woo her."

"What the hell does Tohru have anything to do with this? And stop listening to her just because she's suddenly your girlfriend or whatever."

"Ehem," Lena cleared her throat and glared, "I don't believe we fully have that established."

"So you say," Shigure replied and patted her knee with a funny little smile.

He wasn't going to take into consideration what she said, at all. "Don't 'so you say' me," Lena bickered, "It takes two people to make a relationship, I'm not sure you're worth my trouble Sohma."

"You say that no-ow," Shigure replied in a sing-song voice that irked Lena even more so.

"Keep at it and I'm picking up fast food for dinner," she warned.

"And offend Tohru by not staying for dinner?" he asked with wide shocked eyes, "When she's been so excited for your visit."

"You're preaching to the wrong choir," Lena replied, "I'm sure Tohru would get over the excitement…" maybe she could make the red-eye flight and stop this terrible mistake she was currently in.

What was she thinking? Staying just because a man came and whisked her off her feet, Literally. Just because that had been the most romantic moment in her life and she couldn't tolerate going to New York and always wondering what may have happened if she had stayed.

Because after all the pathetic let downs and disappointments, Lena still believed in the magic, the fairy tale and the prince on the white horse defending the princess in the fairy pink dress to have their happy ever after.

Yeah, and she was twenty seven, how disgusting was that?

"Food's ready!" Tohru announced as she came out with several dishes that Lena couldn't identify.

"Shigure…dinner will be on me next time," Lena promised as she subtly pushed her chopstick into a squiggly substance. When everyone was busy with their meal, she slipped pecks of food to Prince.

He wouldn't touch it, which was until Lena shoved the food into his mouth. He had to earn his keep somehow, and this was revenge for preferring Shigure.

The meal passed by with idle chatter until Tohru cleared the table, and Yuki helped. They both ran back and forth like little chickens with their heads cut off until Lena heard another explosion in the kitchen.

"Shigure…maybe you should have your pipes checked," she suggested as she craned her neck to look into the kitchen.

"I assure you by past compliments my pipes are fine, but if you'd like to test run them your…"

Yeah, he got hit for that one.

"If you're going to make a sex joke, be more subtle about it," Lena grumbled next to him, "That or save them for Ayame." She had found their relationship to be…interesting over the few days she had observed them.

"In any case, I'm sure the kitchen pipes are fine," Shigure didn't bother to leave the table; he did make sure Lena didn't seem too curious though. Very few outsiders could protect their secret, and the best way to not be hurt, was to not allow an opportunity for oneself to be hurt.

"Why is Tohru apologizing so much?" she could hear the quite loud apologies as well.

"Tohru will be Tohru," Shigure replied.

"Thanks for the cryptic message, that explained a lot," Lena replied dryly while rolling her eyes.

Kyo finally left the table to yell at Tohru, or rather Yuki and then when Tohru got involved, she also was yelled at.

Was it always so loud in his house?

"No wonder you're so late on manuscripts," Lena muttered, the only time he had to truly write was when they all were at school.

"Finally, the sympathy I deserve," Shigure muttered. Prince cuddled up to him, and received a glare for his choice of favorites.

"See if I let you in my bed tonight," Lena grumbled, she eyed Shigure wearily and waited for the crack.

"I'll try to behave better in the future," he promised with a boyish half smile.

Lena hit him for that one too.

"Remind me again why I decided to stay?" she asked irritably.

"Because you couldn't say no to my impeccable charm and writers flattery," Shigure replied in a very matter of fact way, "and I professed my clear adoration for you in front of hundreds of strangers."

"It was dozens, and why is that? That you…find me….interesting," it was the best choice Lena could find.

"Lena, Lena, Lena," he scolded and sat back slightly, he was going to enjoy telling her this, "Your clever, witty, slightly arrogant and independent traits are endearing. Of course this helps," he added as he fingered the soft lace around her plunging neck line, "and this," he also added as he swept a hand down her thigh to the soft hem of her silk skirt.

"Endearing? What am I, five?" Lena asked smartly as she managed not to fidget (or completely jump him) when he began to subtly run a hand down her knee. Her soft skin tingled where his warm finger prints touched.

"Sensual, Exotic, Divine, Sexual, Should I continue?" he whispered into her ear.

A soft, embarrassing giggle left her lips as she leaned closer into him.

"Tease," she accused him, and pushed past the humiliation that when she actually giggled when he began to flatter and try to warm her up in such a way.

"All in fun and games," Shigure replied with a quick wink and leaned away from her.

Lena was about to complain when the teenagers walked in. Of course. She hid her irritation well, disappointment that they chose that moment to walk in on them.

"Were we…interrupting?" Yuki asked as he uncomfortably cleared his throat.

"No, nothing at all," Shigure replied happily and rested his hands against the table. He looked forward, so he didn't see the furious glare that Lena shot him.

Oh, so that was nothing? He was probably some womanizing player that had dealt his cards right and hoped she'd put out for him.

Not this girl. His ass was going to roast over open flames for toying with her hopes and emotions if what had just happened between them was classified as nothing.

"Well, I should be going, damn it…I never called Mii." Lena figured Mii was probably arriving at the house at any moment. This was going to be an interesting conversation. Now she really had to get going.

In a flash, Lena was up, slipping her feet into uncomfortable heels that cost a fortune and shoving her coat on, "I'll talk to you later," she aimed the words at Shigure and there was far too much hostility for him not to shrink away and look a tad bit frightened.

* * *

"Mii…I am so sorry, I can't believe I forgot to call. This is just perfect, who's going to watch my ferns now?" Lena groaned and sunk into the couch as Mii watched her with clear amusement from the other end.

"So…You….Sensei?" she asked and began to giggle and snort into her coffee.

"He was sweet and….believable at the air port," Lena grumbled and crossed her arms in a huff, "I'm an idiot, as bad as every other idiot with their heads in the clouds thinking something can come from nothing," because she was on a roll, Lena kept talking, her voice became quicker and louder which happened when she became upset over something, "and really, what girl want's something, even if it does come from nothing? Shigure has nothing to offer, Shigure doesn't want to offer anything, so to expect something from a nothing like Shigure is plain stupid of me….unless something can happen from nothing, in which case I walk away from a nothing that could really turn into something and end up being _everything."_

"Yeah…I mean…what?" Mii frowned and took another sip of her coffee, "try breathing between sentences, okay?"

"Ugh," Lena flipped over and buried her head into the pillow.

"It's probably all for the best," Mii comforted," The Sohma's are a strange family… the family wouldn't be pleased given the history."

"I don't give a flying fuck about their wishes," Lena replied darkly, flipping back to her stomach and sitting up in a vengeance, "In fact, you go ahead and tell dear Great Auntie and Uncle that I am seeing Shigure Sohma and _I'm loving every minute of it_," she snarled darkly.

"You have a lot of pent up loathing that's not healthy," Mii pointed out, rather amused and slightly worried by Lena's outburst.

"My loathing is put to good use and merited. I deserve to stew with loath, they had me pronounced stillborn, they locked my mother up during her pregnancy and then had a questionable death, we both know how far this family will go to cover up secrets," Lena bit her lip and sighed, "they finally found one secret they couldn't keep quiet."

"What's that?" Mii asked, without much enthusiasm.

"Me."


	10. Chapter 10: Battling the Climax

**Title**: Living in a Romance Novel

**Chapter 10**: Battling the Climax

**Authors Note**: Woot – chapter ten! We're in the double digits. I think a lot of you have waited for this chapter, and I certainly enjoyed writing it, so enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. Evalena White is my own creation however, and belongs solely to me.

* * *

Life itself is the most wonderful fairytale of all. ~Hans Christian Andersen

"Lena…." Mii scowled and dragged one of the feathery pillows, one hit, two hits, three hits.

Nothing.

"Good lord, LENA," she brought the feathery pillow down on Lena's face…hard.

"OW. DAMN IT. WHAT?" Lena's eyes snapped wide open as she seethed up at the intruder on her dreams, "This had better be a fucking emergency Mii! Prince had better be on fire!"

"Better," Mii replied with a satisfying smirk, "Sensei is on the phone."

For a moment, Lena just starred, gaping at Mii, "Who? Oh….I hate you," she finally said after a long period of time that wafted in the air, "With every fiber of my being, I hate you."

"Should I tell him to call back?" Mii hesitated as she looked to the phone.

"AND HALT TRUE ROMANCE?!?" a voice screamed from the phone.

One word went through Lena's mind….Ayame.

"You still have trouble telling Shigure no…" Lena gapped at her, "After all the suicidal moments he's put you through, you can't tell him no…" amazing, just….amazing.

"N…NO!" Mii trembled as she debated the point, "Sensei really wants to talk to you."

"One, stop calling Shigure that, I don't and two, work on saying no," Lena snapped and grabbed the phone from her.

"This. Had. Better. Be. Good." She demanded, each word staccato and accentuated.

"Would I call if it wasn't?" Shigure hummed, Ayame was singing something in the background, which was distracting enough because it was Ayame.

"Yes," Lena replied, point blank.

"Well, that's just rude," he tried to sound offended, but it was hard with Lena snorting through the phone line in disbelief.

"I've never seen you even close to being offended, because you don't let anything, I mean, anything bother you," Lena remarked, with just a little bit of sass on the phone, "Stop getting me off track," oh yeah, she blamed him, whole heartedly, "What did you call for?"

"There you go, blaming me again," Shigure whined, "I was calling to offer a private, romantic lunch in an enchanted forest with sugar plum faeries catering to your every whim…but if you're going to insult me…"

"Okay, one, you're back yard is not an enchanted forest, and two – I don't think you should call Tohru, Yuki and Kyo sugar plum faeries. If Ayame is there with outfits…count me in," a visual she would never forgive herself if she missed.

"It's all in the imagination," Shigure remarked tartly.

"Say's the damn writer," stupid writers.

"Is that a yes?"

"Whatever." With Lena's one worded, not so much of a reply response of agreement, Mii began to do some girly squeal, which Lena ignored for the sake of her own sanity. Shigure was already pushing it to the limit.

* * *

By the time Lena arrived at Shigure's, the sun was slowly rising into the sky, the gentle wind had a bite to it though and she was slightly worried of her outfit of choice. Shigure was right, she did where a lot of lace and silk.

But it was pretty and feminine and damn the man that would mock her for dressing appealingly….even if it was outrageously expensive and incredibly uncomfortable – welcome to stylish uptown New York.

If Lena didn't have a blister from her shoes at the end of the day, they were out of style.

"A picnic, are you insane? It's going to rain later," Lena grumbled as Shigure seemed to appear out of thin air – he had a way of doing that.

"Let a poor writer entertain his lady," Shigure in turn, also used the same whiny grumble that Lena had just given him and took her hand, forcing her to plop down on the red checkered picnic blanket. There was an authentic woven basket next to him.

"You've got to be kidding me, we look like an idyllic picture out of some Italian wine grove garden, where did you find all this…._crap._" Good lord, the man even had all the plates set out, when did the photographer arrive? Where they going to be in _Home And Garden_?

"What are you looking for?" Shigure had a funny smile on his face when he asked the question as Lena's head whipped around three, four times.

"You're sugar plum faeries," Lena remarked sarcastically, a language she was fluent in and proud of it, "But really, let's talk about over the top – this here, Sohma, is way over the top." She should have expected it, the man didn't half-ass things. Thing was proven with the horse drawn buggy he invested in.

"A lady of my heart that's worth every minute of it," he picked up her hand and kissed it.

It if had been anyone else, Lena might have believed it, but never, never believe a writer. "Cut the crap," she retorted before stretching out on the blanket, might as well enjoy it.

"Ah, point proven," Shigure remarked and dragged a slow finger down the lacy skirt, a mischievous smirk went well with the crafty look in his eyes.

"So? I like looking nice," It was the only excuse she had, "when you live in New York, you live in style…that is if you don't want to be an outcast," she sniffed and looked away. Lena had spent enough years in an orphanage to know what the word 'rug rat' meant and that it had applied to her tattered and patched mis-matching itchy clashing fabrics in every way.

Now she wore Prada, Gucci, Coach, Ralph Lauren, Dolce Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, and her personal hailing god, Garavani. With an editor's salary, she added wardroom pierces yearly, but over the course of her twenty seven years of living with only her and a dog to provide for, she had a nice, but not outrageous collection.

It was enough to make any middle aged house wife jealous, but not enough to intimidate women that were truly affluent and bought a new Dolce Gabbana every day.

"If you have a problem with my clothes, keep it to yourself," Lena remarked with sass.

"The only problem I have, is that they're still on," Shigure remarked.

Lena would have smacked him, under normal circumstances if she was more in control of her body, but Shigure plummeted his lips to hers, one of his hands was lost in the tangles of her soft blonde hair, and the other hand stayed on her side.

They were lost in the moment, otherwise Shigure would have been more careful, more aware of his surroundings and her body began to inch closer to his, how his hand no longer remained on the ground but was beginning to travel up her thigh when…

Poof.

The sound that came out of Lena's mouth couldn't even be declared human. One minute, she was kissing a rather handsome and sometimes annoying writer. The next, there was a dog practically in her lap.

Now would be a great time for the cameras to roll out with a man and a big 'GOTCHA' or "YOU'VE BEEN PRANKED' sign to come out

Of course those things only happen on T.V.

"Uhm…Shigure, you're a dog…" for some reason, pointing out the obvious seemed to work.

"Yes, well, that's rather a long story," he replied dryly.

Lena didn't miss how he didn't exactly look her in the eyes, he did move away from her though.

It had been different when Tohru had found out, Shigure hadn't truly cared if her memories were erased, though as far as a cook and maid went, he was certainly glad she had kept her memories. From the start he had done all he could to protect Evalena from having her memories suppressed.

Until this moment, things had gone quite well too.

"Damn Sohma's," Lena finally hissed, "All you come with is trouble!" First her mother, now her – this was a generation problem. The one thing she had passed down from her mother, problems with men. Perfect. Her therapist could defiantly put the family issues on hold, they had a whole new closet of skeletons to deal with…all thanks to the Sohmas.

"We really are," Shigure replied, and with that he took off into the forest.

"Hey…HEY! YOU DON'T GET TO BE THE ANGRY RUN OFF ONE HERE!" Lena gnashed her teeth and starred at the horizon of trees until she finally collected up his clothes and folded them nicely.

"I'm _not _chasing after you! I'm wearing heels. Shigure….I mean it. GET YOUR DOG TAIL BACK HERE NOW…I SWEAR, I"LL COUNT," what was he twelve? And what was she, his mother? He didn't give a damn if she counted to three and then spanked him – he'd probably like it.

Besides, no amount of shouting, screaming, and tantrum throwing amounted to Shigure coming back from the forest.

Finally, after minutes had passed, Lena had to sort out her thoughts on what had happened and what she could accept. The sane healthy thing would have been to walk away right there, get in her car and drive home.

But, if Lena was a sane and rational person…she would have gotten on the air plane in the first place.

"Your hide is so tanned when I get my hands on you," Lena finally swiftly decided and began to trudge into the forest. Not a mile in, and the heavy downpour started. She had warned Shigure that it was going to rain.

"The one time I have to be right…THE ONE TIME," shouting at Shigure, or shouting up at God, Lena wasn't sure – both were men, both were there for, responsible for her above and beyond irritation at the moment.

The wind picked up, so Lena was tossed around like a fragile little rag doll, "Fine, take Shigure's side…you men are all the same," she huffed and maneuvered her way, poorly around the thick trunks of the trees and knee deep foliage.

At one point, she lost a shoe, a three hundred and seventy five dollar excluding tax shoe. That was the breaking point. Her hair was stringy and hanging in her face, there was mud on her fine lace and a tear through her skirt.

Hell, had finally claimed her.

"Oh this is just lovely, now I'm lost…" put her in a crowded city any day, her Starbucks tingles would go off and she'd be home within the hour. A forest though? Figuratively, she was screwed.

There were two choices now, one, Lena could waste her energy chasing Shigure and end up going nowhere, or she could turn around, re-trace her steps as good as she could in the mud and rain and find her way back home, leave Japan and chalk it all down to a crashing decline of her mental health.

Stupidly, and Lena realized this very much - she continued.

Because she believed in fairy tales, and happy endings and if the prince was too stubborn to come out of his castle to slay the dragon and rescue the princess than it was up to the princess to slay the dragon and then drag the annoying, brat prince screaming and kicking out of his castle. Because if this was the only shot at magic and wonders she had, she wasn't going to look five back and wonder…one step more, what would one step more of done?

And above all else, because this was her story, and her story, damn it, was going to have a happy ending.

Because of all these reasons, and the last one in particular, Lena marched on, red faced, huffing and cursing as she combed the forest down.

This was her life, and she wasn't going to give up the reins to fate, or destiny or the circumstances. She had never allowed outside forced to control her before now, not since she was a baby without a voice or a will.

Evalena Aurelia White, certainly, was not about to start now.


	11. Chapter 11: Tattered Pages

**Title**: Living in a Romance Novel

**Chapter 11**: Tattered Pages

**Authors Note**: Hey guys – I hope you all finally enjoyed Lena finding out the Sohma secret! Obviously the story doesn't end there though, so here's the next installment. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I'm really happy that Lena connects so well with everyone. I love strong, independent women and Lena for sure falls in that category - she tries to be refined and elegent like her clothing style, but we all know how brash and hot tempered she really is.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. Evalena White is my own creation however, and belongs solely to me.

* * *

"If you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees." ~ Kahlil Gibran

On the positive side, the rain was starting to let up; unfortunately Lena was soaked to the bone. She didn't give a damn one way or another on the weather forecast anymore. Let the skies tragically cry for her misfortune.

"I can't believe I lost a shoe…and I'm still carrying his clothes," disgusted, Lena wrung out the water in her stringy hair and kept trudging forward, like the true trooper she was.

"Lena…" a soft voice called her out loudly, there was nothing timid or unsure about it. Seconds after Lena's ears perked up at hearing her name, Shigure popped out of the bushes.

She was startled at first, not because of what Shigure was, half dog…or weredog, whatever the technical name for it was. She was startled because he jumped out of a random pair of bushes. Lena could see how he retreated with her wide gaping mouth and surprised eyes.

"Give me a heartache, damn it Shigure," she clutched her chest and focused on taking a few deep breaths of air, it helped, a little.

"You should really be more aware," he teased, unable to be serious, despite the circumstances.

There was something wrong with the picture, although Lena felt relieved to have found him…or rather he found her, something was still wrong. She narrowed her eyes on him and starred for the longest time.

And then it struck her as brilliant and fierce as lightening.

How was that possible if she had his clothes….

"YOU BASTARD! NO GOOD, ROTTON, SELFISH, UNDERLYING, SON OF A BITCH," Lena screeched in his face, waving his clothes around, "I was out LOOKING FOR YOUR SORRY ASS AND YOU WENT INSIDE….I LOST A SHOE…YOU OWE ME FOUR HUNRED AND FIFTY FIVE DOLLARS PLUS TAX."

"You seem upset…" he laughed uneasily and tripped back a couple of steps.

"Upset? I am furious…FURIOUS," she stalked around in a circle for a moment, hissing and muttering, then her eyes spotted a perfect shaped stone.

"Ow…" Shigure muttered and rubbed his head when a rock ricocheted off it, "Now is that really the mature thing to do, Lena?" He asked, attempted to scold.

"I'm just getting started," Lena hissed, and chucked another stone, this time she hit his cheek.

"Now Lena, you're going to have to stop throwing rocks at me sooner or later," preferably later.

"Wanna bet? This is for my hair, this is for my shoe, this is for the slit in my skirt…eyes up pervert, this is for the rain damage on my lace, and this…this is for making me chase you down in a bloody forest when you weren't even there. This is for being a stupid, self-absorbed, no good, troubling Sohma!"

"Feel better?" he hoped, as he shielded his face with both arms. There was a circle of pebbles around him by now.

"Yes," Lena huffed and collapsed down on a sturdy rock. Shigure was lucky she wasn't strong enough to lift up the stone that was bigger than his ego – yes, shockingly, it was possible.

"You haven't asked for an explanation yet," He remarked, "It would be the logical question to follow…"

Lena snorted and buried her face into her hands, "I haven't decided if I want to know yet," she admitted, "Fine, let's hear it – otherwise I'll be tossing and turning all night."

"Well...as you saw earlier, certain Sohma's are possessed by the zodiac…I'm the dog, Yuki's a rat and Kyo's a cat. You've also met Ayame and Hatori who are part of the zodiac. Whenever we are hugged by the opposite sex or our bodies weaken, we transform," he explained rather calmly, but searched her eyes for acceptance.

"Okay…it's a little Harry Potter for me, a little over the top with a 'cursed family' but I guess it could work," Lena didn't see any point in arguing what she had seen.

"You're accepting this very well," Shigure remarked casually.

Lena gave a hoot at that, she couldn't help it, "Wouldn't it be counterproductive to refuse to accept what I saw with my own eyes? Granted if you told me this without any proof, well, I'd probably have you committed, but you…you transformed right in front of me. I saw it, I can't deny that, there's no point in fighting the truth," no matter how much she might have liked too.

A zodiac curse for crying out loud, "I guess that's why you never got close to me…" and if he gave any other reason she'd deck him for it.

"Trust me," Shigure replied with a tortured expression, "I was constantly restraining myself against you."

"I believe you, I'm quite a catch after all," Lena replied with a smirk.

"And you call me egotistic…" Shigure muttered under his breath.

A frown creased on Lena's face, "You know what…I think I liked you as a dog better," she sprang on Shigure, who protested and tried to walk backwards, retreating away from her. Lena's arms still wrapped around his shoulders, for one instant she held him and then… poof.

"You're so much cuter," Lena smirked and played with his floppy black ears.

"Very funny," Shigure grumbled, "I should warn you, and we change back naked."

"Don't count on me being a lady and not sneaking a peak," Lena warned him with a fixed smirk on her lips. She saw the amusement and surprise flash in his eyes.

Who said Shigure was the only one to be a pervert?

Shigure stopped short from walking back to his house and stared peculiarly at Lena, "You took that very well," most people wouldn't have, "Why were you so angry before? Was it because I chose to get dressed instead of wandering around naked in the forest?"

Lena gave an indifferent shrug, "I've always been good at adapting to strange circumstances," and maybe, she had lived her head in fantasy books too long, maybe she had prayed too hard for poof of something extraordinarily different in this world. Now she had it.

"And, I was angry because well I was getting lost in the forest you were drying your hair, probably having Tohru run and fetch you a new pair of clothes," where as she lost her shoe. Lena wouldn't forget that.

"Then from the deepest, most sincere parts of my heart, I apologize."

"You don't have a heart."

"Now that's just cruel."

"You begged me to stay, remember," Lena pointed out with a quick smirk on her lips, "You found my wit, clever and charm endearing."

Shigure gave a snicker, coming from a dog it sounded funny, "You were easily persuaded."

* * *

Sitting around the table was far more awkward than it should have been – Lena blamed it on the fact that Shigure was still a dog, and Hatori had joined them for the evening.

"Akito will have to be told," Hatori finally decided at the table, "You know it has to be Shigure, her knowing endangers all of us."

"Yes, because if a woman ran screaming down the streets about the Sohma's being possessed by evil zodiac spirts that caused them to transform into animals, you're entire family would be locked up for testing…oh, wait. No. That would be me being locked up in a mental ward. Don't insult my intelligence, who am I going to tell, and for debate purposes, we'll add, who am I going to tell that would believe me," Lena rolled her eyes, straight at Hatori and dared him to argue.

"Our head of house must be notified," he replied stubbornly back.

"Fine," Lena sat back and smirked, "I'll go. But not because it's demanded of me, and not because I feel pressured or required to go. I'm going to go, to tell this Akito that if he plans to interfere in the tiniest bit of my life, then prepare for heavy pain," either in the form of pepper spray, a taser, or twenty years of woman's self defense.

"Be aware that there may be a chance Akito will request your memories to be erased," but when Hatori spoke, he spoke more to Shigure than Lena.

Lena sized Hatori up and smirked, "I like my chances," how did fried sea horse taste? For future reference, it might make it on the dinner menu.

"A word of advice, White-San, treat Akito will the deepest and greatest of respect," and maybe she would be spared.

"A word of advice, Sohma-San, respect is given when respect is due. Respect is earned, not automatically demanded," she squared off against Hatori and smirked. Lena knew she was a worthy adversary.

"You two, jumping over nothing," Shigure chuckled nervously, "Akito was in a generous mood with Tohru, there's no reason that he hasn't stayed that way," and to that, both Yuki and Kyo snorted in disgust.

Well, Akito might have had the Sohma's scared shitless, but Lena had survived worst. One date – Upstate New York, Black Friday.

Every year she went, she fought, and she conquered. Akito would be a piece of cake. Her estranged family had never influenced her life; they had never had the choice. Lena had refused to give up the reins, the power. If this man truly believed he was going to walk into her life and tell her if she could remember her own memories or not, then he deserved a good kick in the ass.

"Don't worry too much," Shigure suggested as he paddled to the door next to her in his black, furry self.

"I'm not," Lena replied with a bright smile, "Believe me, I can take care of myself."

Nobody was coming into her life to rip to shreds everything she had put together. Her story was careful woven and kept in order, nobody was going to shred her life.


	12. Chapter 12: In the Antagonists Den

**Title**: Living in a Romance Novel

**Chapter 12**: In the Antagonists Den

**Authors Note**: Ah, I'm so sorry for the delay guys – one word, relatives. They're great company but it's a pain in the ass to try and get any work done when they're around. So anyways, you guys deserve an amazing chapter and I intend to give it to you.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. Evalena White is my own creation however, and belongs solely to me.

* * *

Fighting is essentially a masculine idea; a woman's weapon is her tongue. ~ Hermione Gingold

For Shigure, the car ride was full of nerves and tension as he did he best to look calm and stare out the window as Hatori drove him, and Lena, to finally meet Akito.

For Lena…the ride was simply tedious.

She picked at her finger nails, let her eyes wander outside, and after the first five minutes of the car ride stopped all attempts to make conversation. It wasn't until they began the slow drive through the outside of the Sohma house that Hatori spoke.

"Don't over strain Akito, he's weak and the last time an event like this happened, the results weren't good," he let a shadow of curiosity fill the car.

Lena sensed it and couldn't help but leap at the mystery, "Well? What happened?"

"I asked permission to marry," Hatori replied solemnly, through the rearview mirror, he saw surprise in Lena's face, and a soft look of pity because she could see there was no ring on his finger. "Akito didn't see it fit, her memories were erased."

"Hmmm, and Akito blinded your eye," Shigure volunteered.

"I wouldn't have told her that part until later Shigure," Hatori shook his head disapprovingly.

"Blinded?!? As in…physical violence?" Damn it! She would have brought her pepper spray…wait a minute. Lena checked the soft bottom of her purse, and found the cold hard metal can of sweet victory.

"Yes, but I'm sure Akito will behave himself in the presence of a woman…at least I hope," Shigure mused, for a moment the old sparkle was back in his eyes as he looked over at Lena and snickered lightly.

"I don't find this amusing," _I will taser his ass if he so much as flinches at me. _Lena shuddered, and ordered herself to keep a cool and collected mind. There was no reason why her tongue and her brain couldn't do the battle for her.

"He'll be expecting you," Hatori muttered ominously as he unlocked the doors for Shigure and Lena to slip out of.

For a moment, Lena thought about making a run for it, but she didn't like her odds in three inch heels and an unfamiliar forest that she was sure Hatori and Shigure would know every nook and cranny of.

Forward, it seemed, was her only choice.

The doors were heavy; Lena noticed, outlined and framed in gold paint. Apparently the Sohma family was very frivolous with the almighty dollar, well, yen.

"Is it really a good idea to mix business with pleasure on a Sunday?" Lena joked as the doors slammed behind their backs.

"Why? Is the thick blood of New York City thinning out from one tiny little meeting with our head of house?" Shigure asked with tickled amusement. Though even he was failing to find humor in their current situation as they waited for Akito to make an appearance.

"SHIGURE, SHUT THE HELL UP. I AM UNDER ENOUGH PRESSURE AS IT. ANY OTHER GENTLEMAN WOULD TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION BUT NOOOO, YOU HAVE TO BE AN ARROGANT PRICK ABOUT IT…I SWEAR EVERY TIME YOU OPEN YOUR DAMN MOUTH…"

"SILENCE!"

The order rang throughout the room, it had to in order to shut Lena up for her to hear it. Few things could stop Lena when she was on a rampage, but that did it.

"You have the most annoying voice," a whinny, softer voice muttered and half a face could be seen as Akito slowly began to expose himself. "You're such a stupid dog, Shigure. How could some loud mouth American like her protect our secret?"

"See, I'm not the only one who calls you a stupid dog," Lena pointed out with a sassy smirk on her lips. She caught the groan and a look from Shigure that said 'now's not really the time.'

Shigure turned to Akito and fainted a chuckle, "Akito, Evalena's…got personality. She's really no danger."

Humph, "Besides," Lena didn't wait for permission to speak, and by the look she gave Akito, she wasn't planning too, "I can keep a secret," she had since birth.

"Oh really?" Akito's dull voice told Lena that he really could care less.

"Really. Looking around, it seems to me you have all the Sohma's living in one tight little area," Lena's lips grew into a wolfish smirk, "But you missed one. A little nobody that no one cared about, she slipped right through your fingers."

Because she had the Sohma blood running in her veins, and she deserved to have the Sohma surname and as an added plus, the money that came with the surname.

Akito starred at her for the longest time and then frowned, "You really did pick a dense one, Shigure. Oh well, she won't cause any problems once Hatori erases her memories…"

"See, now we have a problem," Lena frowned and heaved a long sigh, "God…I hate being a bitch, but you make it so tempting…see, I'm….slightly fond of my memories from age three until the present. In fact, I can get pretty defensive over my memories…I can be a bitch," because she didn't like how sitting made it look like she was surrendering to him, Lena rose to stand up.

"But I'm not going too," She finally decided and watch Akito seem, almost amused.

In fact, he seemed a little red in the face, "Indulge me," he finally demanded, "I haven't had this much entertainment since Hatori and Kana. Tell me, when you're so obviously a bitch, why aren't you?"

Lena drew in a breath, and then gave her award winning, nail the client smile that always did the job at the end of the day, "Because unlike you, I won't be the result of somebody else's misfortune and unhappiness. I could bitch, I could fight tooth and nail, I'd probably shed some blood, but I won't let you make Shigure's life miserable on my account. He can fuck that up on his own. I won't be another Sohma that ran away, and let the ones they loved and cared about be punished for it. I won't be that person, because to look in the mirror and see that every day, to see a reflection of you…I'd rather shoot myself," and then, her lips curled to make straight, defiant line and her eyes narrowed in on him.

That was all it took, "BITCH, SHIGURE HOW DARE YOU LET HER SPEAK TO ME! I AM GOD. YOU WILL NOT SPEAK TO ME…" he lunged himself at Lena, and caught her full on so both of their bodies were knocked back and they hit the ground.

Shigure was up and tearing Akito away from Lena…or was it Lena away from Akito?

Lena fought, like a girl would fight. She used the weapons god had intended, and ripped with her nails and bit with her teeth. She was not below pulling hair and that was the first thing Akito found out.

It took Shigure a good five minutes to separate the two, bloody, clothes torn, hair messed up and both panting. Under different circumstances, he would have made a sexual joke, but at the moment could find nothing humorous.

"Get out," Akito finally snarled as he pointed towards the door.

"We aren't finished yet," Lena remarked and tore her upper arm away from Shigure so nobody was holding her back.

"Don't care…get out," Akito gasped, "HATORI…" he finally screamed.

"No, you're going to listen, for once, a head of house is going to listen. They aren't going to undercut those they find below them because they simply can. They're not going to call the shots and determine another person's fate because lately, it's been a bit boring in their lives. That's up to me, and if I want to see Shigure, if I want to kiss him and love him, that's up to me too," she patted Shigure's cheek in a fond way that let him know it really was up to her (Shigure on the other hand, had no say in the matter).

Her heels clipped nicely on the floor as she surrounded Akito like a vulture, "Listen up, Shigure might be an irritating, button pushing, infuriating prick…but he's _my_ irritating, button pushing, and infuriating prick. And my memories are also, _my _memories. So, you can step off, or I can bring out the big guns and we'll really have ourselves a party."

She folded her arms, popped a hip, and waited impatiently for Akito to speak, Shigure beat him to the punch though.

"You love me?"

"Would I put up with you if I didn't?" Lena questioned, she had to bite down on her cheek to stop her lips from splitting into a wide smile.

"Isn't this…precious," Akito spat as he glared at the two of them, "A wet dirty mongrel, finally found someone to love him, too bad this isn't the fairy tales. You won't find a handsome prince coming from him."

Lena laughed, "You know, princes are kind of over rated, I like frustrating arrogant writers."

"Pushy, sarcastic editors aren't half bad either," Shigure remarked with a funny smile on his lips, "Not half bad at all," he added as he gave her slightly torn and inappropriate look another long, desirable look.

"And every time you want to hold him? He'll change into a filthy animal," Akito laughed, and Lena decided it was one of the most awful sounds she had ever heard.

He laughed, and laughed, and laughed…until Shigure let go of his arm.

"I love you Lena, and if you can over look that furry side of me…" was it too much to ask? Shigure hesitated.

Lena gave a bittersweet smile, "Prince needs a play mate anyways," she teased softly, and watched with amusement hidden behind her eyes as Akito's face grew slightly red.

"NO…NO…YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME…" he grabbed for Shigure, but Shigure was easily able to put a hand out and stop Akito.

"I believe our business is done," he took Lena's hand in his and spun around to give Akito a long strange look, "You won't be bothered by us again," this time, when he walked outside and breathed in the air, he was a free man.

Free of the ties that kept him promised to a God.

Free of a curse that didn't allow him love.

Free.

"Okay, what happened in there?" Lena asked as he continued to walk forward with his hand grasping hers, a big smile on his face.

"Stop grinning like an idiot and tell me!" She snapped at him again.

In return, he spun her around and brought her close to his chest, so their racing hearts could beat like one.

For the first time since birth, he stayed completely man with the embrace.

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**Additional Authors Note: **Besides an Epilogue, this is pretty much the end of the story. Now, if you really want me to continue with either a sequel or more chapters (I do have other ideas, but I'd like to know that people still want this story to continue) you have to let me know. I'm not fishing for reviews, if it seems like I am, you can send me a message instead - I'm already quite pleased with how much attention LIARN has gotten. This was always supposed to be a 10 - 15 chapter story, but I figured since it has seemed to reached a lot of interest, I'd give the readers a choice. So, if you want the story to continue and not just have a nice, smooth ending here - let me know. I can give Shigure more lip and sass from Lena. ;)

~ Lady M.


	13. Chapter 13: Fairy Tale Ending

**Title**: Living in a Romance Novel

**Chapter 13**: Fairy Tale Ending

**Authors Note**: We're at the end of the story – but expect an author's note to come after this with my plans on Writing a Love Story. If I can come up with a decent enough plot line, that will be the title of the sequel (In the mean time, if you like my writing – check out Unbreakable Strength!) Anyways, now that my little advertisement for my other story is done – I hope you enjoy the last chapter of Living in a Romance Novel.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. Evalena White is my own creation however, and belongs solely to me.

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I don't want realism. I want magic! ~ TENNESSEE WILLIAMS

"Shigure?" Lena sighed with exasperation as she began to circle his house, "We're going to be late…SHIGURE!" with crossed eyes, Lena continued to control her heavy surveillance.

"Not now…he is not going to do this to me now!" if he thought he could up and vanish like a magician, he had another thing coming.

"Uhm….White-San," Yuki spoke softly from the corner, he and Tohru watched the furious woman silently until now. "I believe Shigure is just wrapping up some loose ends at the estate – for you, now that…you're….family."

"Thanks for turning white as you said that," Lena snapped hastily back, "I'm not that bad to be related too." The news that Lena was a relative had gone over…interestingly with the Sohma clan. They were a bit embarrassed about the entire affair, but Lena had promised to be fair about it. She only had two demands.

She wanted her birth certificate and she wanted Shigure.

With clenched teeth, Akito had agreed after Lena subtly threatened to go public with a fascinating story line she was writing that was completely non-fiction. She called it _Sora's Strength_. The final piece of the puzzle was placed with the unveiling of the Sohma curse. Her father hadn't been able to leave the Sohma house, not with a brother who was cursed.

"I can't believe he chose today to wrap up the strings," Lena grumbled and hissed, until she finally collapsed down on the steps.

"I wasn't gone that long," Shigure snickered from behind her.

Lena sprouted up with her venom ready to poison, "We have a flight to catch, smart ass."

"There is plenty of time, Lena-poo."

"What did you just call me?"

"Nothing darling," Shigure sighed and wrapped an awkward arm around her shoulders, "I've never been out of Japan before," he mused silently.

"Oh, you'll love New York," Lena promised, it hadn't been hard to convince him to come with her for two weeks, a vacation for him, a way to tie up loose ends and make her life in Japan permanent. The heart went, where the heart was loved.

"And all the shopping we'll do," Lena smiled up at him, "I know what your paycheck is," she got ten percent of his profits after all, "It's time you treat a girl right."

"Why do I have a feeling you're bringing me for your own personal ATM?" Shigure mused loudly.

"Are you protesting?" Lena asked with wide eyes.

"Do I get sex as a reward?"

"…yes, yes you do," Lena finally decided. It wasn't really that hard of a decision to make.

"Then, no, I don't have a problem at all," he declared, "We better get going so we're not late…" he looked at Tohru and sighed, "Tohru you're in charge while we're gone…try not to let Yuki and Kyo destroy my house." The writer whimpered at the though.

Kyo grimaced, "Why the hell does the curse break for him?"

"Because, Kyo," Shigure spoke in a very educated voice, "the spirits bond to Akito, wasn't strong enough, for Lena's doting and over powering love for someone as talented and great as I am," he could have sworn he heard Lena snort in the background.

"It's a wonder she puts up with you…" Yuki noted before treading back into the house.

Lena gave a tug onto Shigure's sleeve and motioned for him to get in the car already, "Your house will be here when we get back," she promised, "and if not you have plenty of money to re-build a new house, a better house…a more durable house." Cement might work…or steel.

"I suppose…" Shigure mused and slid in the door. Prince gave a loud bark and jumped into his lap. Some things never changed.

"Traitor," Lena mused as she started the engine and rolled away from the Sohma's house.

"He knows a pure heart when he sees one, bless him," Shigure sighed poetically and took Lena's hand fondly in his.

Lena turned off on the drive way and smiled wistfully…strange it was, but she finally had a family she had always dreamed of, and a rather unorthodox prince to her life. Finally, she was that girl, and he was that boy – it was what every little girl dreamed about, especially those who had a lack of magic in their life time.

For Lena…the magic was just beginning, and she had her dog prince, rather than a frog prince, to take her hand and steady her through the adventure of life to keep her steady and still. He was hers, forever, and forever.

_The End _

_

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_**Additional Authors Note: **I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed - it really does mean a lot to me. The ending was sort of cutesy, I didn't want any big foreshadowing simply becuase I don't know what my intentions are for Writing a Love Story . I may not get to the sequal until after summer is over, because of the full time job I'll be pulling. In any case, I hope you enjoyed Living in a Romance Novel - if you're looking for something else to read, check out my other story or the stories I have marked as favorite (that includes any authors I also have as I highly reccomend anyone that I have listed as favorite author). If there's anything you'd like to see in Writing a Love Story, send me a message or put it in a review - it just might happen.


	14. Chapter 14: Final Authors Note

**Title**: Living in a Romance Novel

**Final Authors Note**

Hey everyone, I just felt it was important to include this at the end of LIARN. I will write a sequel, which you can expect to come at the end of August.

It will be called Writing a Love Story and here are a few things to look forward to in the story.

An engagement

Drama with Lena's estranged family – meeting Fujiko Okamura

Secrets of Sora and Daichi's relationship

The curse beginning to unravel

A lot of witty and sarcastic comments from Lena, most of them for Shigure

I sincerely hoped that everyone enjoyed the first part of Living in a Romance Novel, and will look forward, read and review for Writing a Love Story. The story will take place six months after LIARN. Over the summer I'll write a rough draft on paper so by the time I get back from camp and have time and internet access, I can start writing again. I appreciate all the comments and reviews I've gotten for LIARN, and would like to thank everyone again for all of the reviews – especially those of you who took the time to review for the majority of my chapters.


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